31
Oct
Life after SAE Student Series: Ongama Mabhuti Manyase
31 Oct 2016
Ongama Mabhuti Manyase is a recipient of the Young Guru Scholarship offered each year at SAE Cape Town. We are often asked by potential applicants what they can do to ensure they have a good chance of being awarded one of our four scholarships.
Read the story of Ongama Mabhuti Manyase and you will soon get an idea of the type of dedication that goes into achieving one’s goals.
How did you hear about the scholarships that SAE offers?
I heard about SAE when I was still in high school doing Grade 11; various universities came and visited our school and none of them caught my attention. It was only SAE that fitted my character and offered higher learning in what I had been dreaming about for years.
But back to how I actually heard about the scholarship, I took a pamphlet from Thabo [Marketing Manager] personally and did research on SAE and that’s where I stumbled upon the scholarship that SAE offers. Initially I looked at the Black Coffee and Young Guru scholarship, read up on both of them and chose the Young Guru scholarship.
What was your response when you heard you’d been awarded the Young Guru scholarship?
I was ecstatic from the moment I heard I was shortlisted. Just the fact that I might be able to study what I was passionate about was very overwhelming. It was such a hard process just to wait for updates on the process of the scholarship. I wouldn’t say I was too surprised because I have been working on my submission for nearly a year so I was honoured that my hard work, thoughts and research paid off.
I was really honoured and I remember telling Dylan and Nosipho that I was not going to give anything less than my best. I told them I was hungry for knowledge and I would do my best to live by those words, I said to them.
What do you think you did differently to the other applicants that may have given you the edge?
I was just honest about myself, where I’m from, where I am and where I wanted to go, and research. I did my research very well, I didn’t just read about the scholarship and SAE but I went to them every time to find out what I could, I was there so much that some people thought I was studying there when I wasn’t [laughs.]
I went there on a lot of open days and sent a lot of emails asking if I could pop by to get whatever information I needed.
How did you enjoy your studies at SAE?
My studies at SAE were a blast. I was able to learn a lot more than I ever expected which was a bonus for me. At times it was challenging but all that helped me to always overcome those challenges, to find alternatives when plan A or B did not work. SAE really helped me to find more about what the sound industry was about and what it had to offer. It helped me to find out my strong points and made me want to explore all what sound has to offer.
Aside from studying at SAE Cape Town you’ve also managed to secure yourself an internship at BUSH Radio. What motivated you to apply at the radio station?
Well I have said I am a person who got interested in all that sound has to offer. I have always liked radio, I used to listen to it every day and I have thought about it but it was at the back of my mind since I didn’t know how to get there.
What motivated me was simply that I never wanted to do a typical job where I couldn’t explore and use my creativity.
Did you find that your studies at SAE helped with your work at the radio station?
Yes I did, especially post production and audio post, which where subjects I had at SAE.
Where do you see yourself after completing your studies? What part of the sound industry?
I want to see myself doing more or less what I am doing just on a higher scale. I want to be working at a bigger radio station, I want to be working at a recording studio and be doing some live events on the side, while chasing my other passions of media and art such as film and photography.
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