Rhodes, as one of South Africa’s smallest universities, is proud to be well-represented at the recent Brightest Young Minds (BYM) conference, with a total of six delegates.
Annually Brightest Young Minds selects 100 students from universities around the country to attend a week-long leadership conference. Delegates are chosen not only by academic merit but also for their passion, innovation and leadership skills.
Applicants are required to submit a detailed letter of motivation along with their CVs. An impeccable academic record is not necessarily a prerequisite to being honoured with a place among the winning 100. Commitment, drive, professionalism and self-confidence are important factors that can help aspiring leaders secure their spot among the nation’s brightest.
BYM targets young thinkers who demonstrate potent entrepreneurial potential and aims to foster their entrepreneurial and life-skills by giving them the chance to work with and learn from influential South African leaders and inspiring figureheads.
The conference has garnered considerable praise over the years for attracting esteemed thinkers and rousing leaders to speak to these young leaders, and this year the delegates were privileged to attend lectures by erstwhile Reserve Bank governor Mr Tito Mboweni and renowned South African author Mr Max du Preez.
Mr Du Preez enjoyed the conference so much that he publicly expressed thanks and heartfelt admiration for the year’s delegates in his column in Die Beeld.
The theme of this year’s summit, hosted in scenic Stellenbosch, was 2010: The Turning Point? and attendees critically deliberated key leadership challenges and social change in the wake of South Africa’s recent World Cup-driven prominence.
The Rhodes contingent consisted of: Amina Ebrahim, Preven Chetty, Emily Jones, Jai Clifford-Holmes, Matthew Rose and Sam Bradley.