Soweto-born student awarded wi

Soweto-born student awarded with top Swedish award

Thato Valencia Mmatli, along with nine others, was awarded the coveted Swedish Institute Study Scholarship after a nationwide selection process.

Soweto-born student awarded wi

Born and raised in Soweto, twenty-eight-year-old Mmatli has just returned to South Africa after winning an award to study in Sweden and feels prouder than ever to be South African.

She says, “Despite any challenges, I love my country and I understood that while living abroad I was its brand ambassador.”

After being awarded the scholarship, Mmatli pursued her second Master’s degree in International Leadership and Management at the Linnaeus University School of Business and Economics. Her first Master’s degree was in Industrial Psychology at Wits University.

Whilst studying in Sweden, Mmatli was nominated for, and won, the 2017 Global Swede Award – an award that is presented to only one student from every Swedish University.

The Global Swede is a joint initiative between the Swedish Institute and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs intended as a platform for global exchange and to build long-term relationships with future leaders. Against a particular set of criteria, the panel of professors who nominated Mmatli put forward the following motivation:

Thato Mmatli demonstrates excellent intellectual abilities, a strong integrity and a very good spirit of camaraderie, combined with an independent and strong personality. She also excels in all theoretical, analytical and even practical issues. Thato is a very engaged student with a distinct identity and sound judgement. She is also thorough and has well-built ideas. She is a real asset in all accounts, with her positive spirit and engaging attitude – a born leader who will go far.

Now that she is back in South Africa, Mmatli intends to use her skills to impact the public sector as she believes this is the most important superstructure in society. She now works as an Industrial Psychologist contributing to the identification and development of leadership within the public sector.

She says, “Perhaps someone reading my story will be encouraged to let go of any doubts or fears and to pursue their dream of making a mark abroad. We have some of the best talent in the world, and we have nothing to be afraid of.”