Stenden South Africa's First Graduates

This article was written by Tamlyn Paterson.

Stenden South Africa inducted its first official Stenden graduates. This is actually the seventh Graduation; however, the previous six have been under the name EISS International. The four graduates are Stian Senekal, Niall McDonald, Tom Pullen and Mwayi Tembo.

The ceremony began with a procession of the academic staff in their full academic uniform and due to the increase in staff numbers; this was a very impressive entrance. Alroy Taai, Community Development Coordinator, was the Master of Ceremonies and he kept the staff, guests and students entertained right from the beginning. The guest speakers for the evening was Dr. Robert Coelen, head of international affairs, Graham Vass, General Manager of the Grande Roche Hotel in the Western Cape and lastly, Wouter Hensens, Academic Dean of Stenden South Africa.
 
As Mwayi was unable to attend the graduation ceremony, only three students were present to receive their graduation certificate. What makes Stenden South Africa unique is the fact that Wouter Hensens paid a personal tribute to each of the students as they are well known by all staff. This gave the impression to all present that the students are not merely a number or a face in the crowd, but rather that they are known for their unique personalities and skills.
 
Stenden South Africa looks forward to hearing where these graduates are in the industry and how they are climbing the corporate ladder. The alumni are growing in number and this is updated
regularly on the website.
 
After the ceremony the graduates, staff and guests were directed to another venue on the campus where they were treated to ethnic African music, drinks, canapés and conversation. Another first for the students was then transforming the venue from a place where the ceremony was held into a dining hall for the dinner function in approximately forty minutes. A special thanks to all the students and staff that made this function the great success that it was. 2011 will see Stenden South Africa’s biggest graduation to take and it something we are all looking forward to. Lastly, congratulations to the graduates of 2010.