Luna Chencinski and Jess Steyn, both students at Stellenbosch University (SU), were recently awarded two of five scholarships worth US$1000 each to further their studies by the Mensa Education & Research Foundation, based in the USA.
"What makes this accomplishment remarkable is that over 11 000 students globally competed for the scholarships; the fact that two of the five available scholarships were awarded to South Africans - who are both from the Winelands chapter of Mensa South Africa - is unprecedented," said the organisation in a media release.
Chencinski, a registered nurse who resides in Gordons Bay, joined Mensa in 2003, and is studying a post-graduate diploma in Nursing Education at SU. She notes that there are very few nurse educators in South Africa, with demand far exceeding supply, and looks forward to being able to make a positive contribution to the profession: "Few registered nurses want to be involved in education as most prefer to work in the clinical field, whereas I enjoy teaching and feel this is my niche. It would be extremely rewarding to me, sending out confident and competent qualified nurses into the workforce."
Steyn, from Somerset West, is a full-time second-year student, studying a BA Language and Culture, focusing on Psychology and English. She completed her primary education at Helderberg Primary School, and matriculated from Herschel Girls School with seven distinctions in 2014. A keen writer, she participates in National Novel Writing Month every year; her academic goal is a PhD in Psychology, and she intends becoming a practising clinical psychologist. She has been a member of Mensa since 2011.
Mensa, founded in the UK in 1946, is a high IQ society which provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members. There are over 120 000 members in more than 100 countries around the world.
The Mensa Education & Research Foundation's scholarship programme bases its awards totally on essays written by the applicants explaining his or her career, academic and/or vocational goals and how they plan to achieve those goals. The Foundation provides funds for international students enrolled at accredited colleges or universities in a country other than the United States. Eligibility is restricted to Mensa members and consideration is not given to age, race, gender, level of education, grade point average, or financial need.
Application judging is conducted anonymously by a panel of international judges selected from members of Mensa throughout the world. Applicants' names and geographical information are not supplied to judges; each essay is submitted to multiple judges, eliminating the potential for some applicants benefiting unfairly from judges who generally mark higher (or the opposite).
More information about Mensa can be found on their website, www.mensa.org.za. The Winelands chapter may be contacted at mensawinelands@gmail.com.
Source: Mensa South Africa
