Phozy, 26, attributes her research study success to the assistance from her supervisors, Natural Resource Management’s Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana and Drs Raffaele Spinelli and Andrew McEwan. Her continued dedication and willingness to stop at nothing but achieving academic excellence, saw her completing her MSc programme in record time.
Her passion for forestry is motivated by her father, a forestry contractor, and her uncle a forester. She is currently an intern at the University of Pretoria in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), employed as a field extension officer.
After matriculating at Maclear High School, she enrolled for the extended Forestry Diploma programme at the George Campus. The next year, she bagged several distinctions in the mainstream Forestry Diploma programme after which she excelled in her BTech in Forestry, with core modules in Forest Engineering, Silviculture and Fire Management.
In 2020, Phozy enrolled for her MSc degree in Forestry with her research thesis assessing the productivity and volume recovery of mechanised harvesting in a pine fire salvaging operation in the Eastern Cape. She plans to start her PhD in forestry soon.
She has also been involved in student societies and housing leadership and was a supplementary instructor for Veldfire lecturing and academic writing as well as the internship programmes to gain valuable career experience.
Phozy says her academic excellence was inspired by the privilege to have worked with university academics who foster, inspire, and motivate excellence.
“My supervisor, Dr Muedanyi Ramantswana, has been my role model and encouraged me to work hard and be dedicated. The experience gained at the University during my internship and research at training provider MTO Cape, has augmented my academic journey as a life changing experience that I will forever cherish,” she says
Phozy also enjoys reading, outdoor adventure, volunteering in community upliftment projects, travelling and is a true sports fanatic.