By Charlotte North
Yaone Mokgware is studying BSc Finance and Investment. He has taken part in ASPIRE sessions weekly at the Medway Campus and is building a sense of entrepreneurship to one day launch a business.
‘I come from Botswana in Africa and my family has always been entrepreneurial. From farming to real estate and many more, my parents have a business. I’ve always seen them as my inspiration.
The University of Kent is somewhere that many others in my home country have studied, and I received some good testimonials. My cousin studied in the School of Law and recommended KBS to me.
I was being mentored by two fund managers who work at one of the biggest pension funds back home around the time I was looking at university options. It really piqued my interest hearing about the life of a fund manager and all the opportunities it brings. So, after that experience I chose Finance and Investment as my undergraduate degree.
I was privileged enough to receive a scholarship to study in the UK and my course was then based at the Medway campus, which was close to London and had everything I needed.
The first year studying Finance and Investment has been great. I’ve really liked the international Business module we started with as it put everything into context and am looking forward to doing more on global markets.
It’s also clear that the university has our career prospects in mind with all of its teachings, as the module in Employability Skills is another that I’ve found useful as it teaches you real world skills like interviewing techniques and CV writing.
I was pleased to win a design competition judged by Dr Sideeq Mohammed and Dr Gloria Appiah for a KBS marketing challenge, which gave me confidence that I can do design work too, being self-taught. Gloria, who was also my lecturer, encourage me to further develop my skills in this area and now I do graphics design and video editing, professionally.
Alongside my course it has been really beneficial to be able to attend ASPIRE sessions. The co-curricular classes help you to think in an innovative way and to consider a business idea.
I have a few business ideas floating in my head as over the years I’ve taught myself a few skills and know a lot about tech, marketing and of course finance.
Since going to ASPIRE sessions, I’ve learned that the successful business ideas offer solutions to the world’s problems. I am approaching this cautiously at the moment, absorbing everything they teach me so I can make an informed decision going forward.
So far, I’ve learned how to build a website and mobile apps, which is great for my portfolio, we’ve done coding with html, learned Google Analytics and how to make content stand out with keywords alongside many other vital skills.
Coupled with the fantastic education I am getting through my course and these classes; I feel like I’ve built a great foundation of knowledge this year to start planning my future. It’s also just great to study somewhere like the UK, where innovation is everywhere.’