From the 23 November, Sheffield Hallam welcomed Karabo Phalane, our Inspirational Student Award winner from the Botswana Accountancy College! I got to sit down and talk to the man himself and ask him about his course, what he thinks of Sheffield and his role as an example to other students.
During his week long visit to Sheffield Hallam, Karabo had the opportunity to meet key staff from his faculty, the International Experience Team and see some of the UK, including a trip to Bakewell and London.
I firstly asked him about his course and coming to Sheffield, he said
“it gives a platform for portfolio and risk assessment and I have an interest in becoming a financial analyst. I also have an interest in derivatives and love my numbers! The information I got on Blackboard through a video about accreditation meant I knew it was the right direction for me.
I’ve been meeting with a lot of people about my course, the staff were keen to know feedback about it and my placement. It was great for the experience and exposure in the industry. The placement was wonderful and they were very accommodating.”
It was also interesting to know Karabo’s role as a course rep, with him taking on board students’ views and acting as a bridge between staff and students, as well as winning the Inspirational Student Award
“I became the organiser and go-to guy, students could tell me if they were having trouble and I could relay those messages across. It built my leadership skills and I had to be very organised, including setting up a Whatsapp group for students.
I like to lead by example, asking questions first to guest lecturers and going on placements, showing ‘if he can do it, then so can we’. People were saying ‘wow, he’s going to the UK!’ I always like to give advice where I can to the younger level 4 students too and be balanced with staff and students.”
We’d like to thank Karabo for speaking to us, and we hope he had a fantastic time in the UK! Find out more about the Inspirational Student Awards here.
