Testimonial Letter for Tiso Skills Fund.
My dream of becoming a doctor started off in high school. By way of background, I hadn’t really been exposed to any profession so it was a daunting task looking for a suitable career path.The questions I had to ask myself were: what was I good at? what did I enjoy doing? where did I see myself in ten years time? how could earn enough to bring myself and my family out of financial trouble? I took the leap and applied for medicine.
Getting accepted to medicine for me was pretty straight forward. It was no big deal. I had applied and got accepted around October of my matric year. I was super excited as I had heard some horror stories about how people apply year after year and don’t get accepted. The first year of medicine was a whole new experience for me. It took a lot of adjusting, both academically and financially. The academic part was easier to figure out; however, the financial part hit me like a thunderstorm – especially as the years went by.It was a bit of a relief when the university gave quite a significant discount on the fees for 1st year due to the distinctions I’d achieved in matric. However, from 2nd year onwards it was very difficult to pay the fees because the discounts were very minimal and the fees were getting higher and higher. I was acutely aware of the harsh reality that funding was very difficult to come by, especially before the #FeesMustFall protests that took place nationwide.Medicine is a difficult degree to procure funding for because of the high costs and the duration of the degree.
I applied many times to numerous organisations for funding, without success – despite working hard and achieving outstanding grades. My family was really struggling to pay the fees but they managed somehow and I am really grateful to them for supporting me. Then in 4th year, I In my search for bursaries I came across Tiso Skills Fund through the Tiso Foundation. The funding during my final two years of study helped immensely, both financially and psychologically. The financial burden on my family was reduced, which in turn alleviated my stress, so I could focus all my attention on the coursework. This happened at a very important stage, as these were the two years that would prepare me to function as a competent doctor. My story has a happy ending as I have qualified with an MBBCh degree from WITS University in 2018 and am now working as an intern at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. From what I have experienced in the past several months, has left me with no regrets about my decision to practice medicine. My passion for this career is burning brighter than ever. I can see myself achieving the goals I laid out for myself, thanks to the support I have received from my family, as well as the Tiso Skills Fund.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Mozammil Rehman
