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Thato Mashigo

  • Current Role: Wildlife Management Professional
  • Location: South Africa
  • Origin: South Africa
  • Scholarship: Stipendium Hungaricum
  • Education: 2019-2021 | Master of Science in Wildlife Management Engineering | Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Hungary
  • Interests: Travelling, Learning Languages (Korean, German), Wildlife Management, STEM
  • Skills & Competencies: Wildlife Management Engineering, Multilingual (Korean, German), STEM Research

Despite being from a small village, I have always been fascinated with travelling and learning new languages (what with my learning the Korean and German language), yet in the same breath, the idea or thought of travelling was never something I thought would be a certain possibility, let alone that it could happen so early in my life. However, that is exactly what happened.

Through the scholarship opportunity that was afforded to me by the Department of Higher Education and Training (RSA) as well as the Tempus Public Foundation (Hungary), I was able to obtain a postgraduate degree in Wildlife Management Engineering. As a person within the STEM field, the opportunity to learn abroad was invaluable to my career. And not only that, but it was extremely meaningful and impactful to my personal life, as it expanded my horizons and possibilities.

Every study abroad experience is unique to every individual, however the general consensus that seems to be shared is that it is a life changing experience. Thus, if you are lucky enough to be afforded the chance to apply and/or obtain an international scholarship, grab it with both hands.