When you hear the word dramatic, over confident and simply moody you tend to distant yourself from a specific person. Well Nandi Yengeni (19) is a first year journalism student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
Nandi was born at one of South Africa’s most prestigious hospitals, St Monica’s Hospital in upper Cape Town. Being the youngest child she has always valued family and they are very near to her heart. “We had a lot of kids in the house while growing up. This was either children from my dad’s or mother’s side. I have one older brother,” she said.
Today Nandi lives in Milnerton, before then they lived in Gugulethu.
Being a first year journalism student, Nandi has been exposed to the industry through volunteering at events happening in Cape Town. Earlier this year she was public liaison officer at the 12th Cape Town International Jazz Festival. There she worked with the artists, local and international media. She also worked at the local government election results centre with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). “The experience for me was indescribable. I learnt many things about the media and journalism industry,” she explained.
Nandi didn’t always know she would study journalism. “I think I was doing it as a rebellious thing. My parents expected me to do business or marketing, something my brother and cousins has done.”
She enjoys going out on weekends with friends. Friendship is very dear to her and important.
People tend to judge her quickly by the looks of what they see. “They see have a car, two cell phones, they then make their own conclusion as to what my life is about. What they don’t know is I am a normal person with the same problems as anyone else.”
Ivor Price a senior lecturer at CPUT is proud to have a student of her caliber in his class.”Nandi has a quiet, strong presence in class. She speaks only when spoken to, at least during formal lectures. Her classmates respect her opinion; however she is a fast learner with a great future.”
A very close friend of Nandi, Lungiswa always smiles in her presence. “She [Nandi] is a thinker and a feeler. She’s got a good heart but I think that sometimes she embraces too easily. She’s very giving and lacks a bit of selfishness of towards herself.”
