Durban - KARISHMA Singh knew she would one day pursue a career in biotechnology, and when she matriculated it was her first choice when applying to
universities.
“Studying biotechnology was always my first choice among a list of other science-related fields,” said Singh, 21, of Merebank.
“Ever since my childhood, I was fascinated with science, especially life science. It is amazing how important biotechnology is in our daily lives, which people tend to be unaware of or take for granted.”
Biotechnology is the study of biological systems found in organisms, or the use of whole organisms to develop products for the betterment of daily life and advancement in science.
Last year, Singh graduated cum laude with a national diploma in biotechnology at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), and received the Dean’s Merit Award.
Next Wednesday, she will graduate cum laude with a BTech in biotechnology. She will receive the Dean’s Merit Award for the second time at DUT’s virtual graduation ceremony.
“I was expecting a cum laude pass as I attained all distinctions. However, I was not expecting to get the Dean’s Merit Award again. This was beyond my goals and is indescribable.”
She said one of the challenges over the years had been trying to maintain a balance between her personal life and studies.
“Being able to establish a balance in life and prioritising one’s tasks are essential,” said Singh.
“This is important as you do not want your academic career to completely engulf your personal life. It was a challenge to set aside time for myself, my friends and family and studies, so developing organisational skills was important.”
Singh said she was initially disheartened that there would be no graduation ceremony at DUT due to Covid-19.
“But that feeling was short-lived. The virus is serious and has claimed the lives of thousands of people worldwide. A virtual graduation is a good compromise as we will still get a portion of
the ceremony experience, while staying safe and social distancing at the same time.”
Singh said her family held a
prayer at their home on May11, the day the initial graduation was expected to take place.
“We will definitely celebrate after the virtual graduation.”
Singh hoped to further her studies to aid cancer research and the advancement of early cancer detection. She wants to specialise in cancer immunology and medical biotechnology.
“This is something I am passionate about, as I lost someone close to me who was only diagnosed during the fourth stage of cancer. However, I would need to further my studies in the medical field to pursue this goal.”