Meet the education graduate who beat the odds

Elvin Hendricks with his mentor from the Stellenbosch United Church Education Trust Fund, Ulrike Reuter.

Elvin Hendricks with his mentor from the Stellenbosch United Church Education Trust Fund, Ulrike Reuter.

Published Dec 9, 2016

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Cape Town - Sheer determination has seen a former Heideveld High School pupil rise from extremely challenging roots to a bright future as an education graduate from Stellenbosch University.

Elvin Hendricks, 23, originally from Cloetesville, Stellenbosch, was raised by his grandmother until she died in 2006. Without her stable guardianship, Hendricks felt vulnerable living with his alcoholic mother, her boyfriend and Hendricks’s two older brothers who resented taking care of him. He moved to Gugulethu to stay with his older sister and her boyfriend, and enrolled at Heideveld High School.

“By Grade 9, my sister’s boyfriend did not want me around, so I went to my teacher, Wilma Witbooi, and told her I needed help. She found a place for me to stay in Heideveld, and the teachers rallied around to support me. Just seeing how my teachers motivated me made me determined not to follow in my parents’ and brothers’ footsteps.

“The support given to me by my teachers inspired me to become a teacher. I believe in the quote, ‘If opportunities are handed to you on a plate, gobble it all, including the plate'.

“After matric in 2011, I applied to Stellenbosch University and was accepted into the year-long SciMathUS (Science and Maths at Stellenbosch University) bridging course which is very useful because it not only improves the marks but prepares us for university life. It shows that you are

responsible for your own learning,” Hendricks said.

His upbringing and experiences drove his passion to give back, and during his time at Stellenbosch University, Hendricks was part of a volunteer group of students who tutored pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

From his somewhat nomadic youth, Hendricks will, on December 28, be setting down roots in the Northern Cape, taking up a teaching post at Port Nolloth High School. Teaching posts are scarce in the Western Cape, he said.

He will be teaching Grade 8 maths, Grade 11 and 12 maths literacy and Grade 8 creative arts with an emphasis on drama and dance.

Besides being on a full Funza Lushaka Scholarship, Hendricks also received additional support from the Stellenbosch United Church.

Cape Argus

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