After orientation we caught up with Tondani Netshiavha to find out how the beginning of his Masters in Finance journey at London Business School was going.
It’s been almost three weeks since I arrived in London and started the MiF programme at London Business School. From the first day I met my cohort, the energy was surreal, and I could firmly say I made the right choice for my career. I’ve met people from all different walks of life, learned some Spanish, been enjoying the classroom environment and learning so much about the multiple cultures around me.
What I have enjoyed the most thus far is my cohort. The friends I have met and started lifelong bonds with and how open everyone here is about their culture. People genuinely coming out of their shells to become who they truly want to be, has been remarkable for me to witness. I love London and LBS.
I was honoured to be asked to give a speech at our Orientation day and I thought I would share a snippet of my speech with you all.
My name is Tondani Netshiavha from South Africa, a proud rugby nation! Many British people know us too well for the heartbreak we caused in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.
I had to come all the way to England just to teach you all some rugby skills. I was born and raised in the South Western Townships of South Africa, commonly known as Soweto. Soweto came to the world’s attention on the 16th of June 1976, when mass protests erupted against the government policy to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than in our native languages.
The world stood with us by imposing economic and cultural sanctions, an act that people like myself will forever be grateful for as those sanctions applied pressure on the government. Me being here today is proof of the results of those sanctions, as I was able to learn in my preferred language.
Given today’s global climate in Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, America, Israel and Palestine, we can all draw lessons from the patriarchism shown to the South African people in 1976. If we all stand together and unite against unhumanitarian acts, we can all achieve more and the world can bring hope to people like myself who will have a positive impact on the world one day.
I am excited to learn from each and every one of you, diversity is a beautiful thing, it teaches us to understand the world and how to make the world a better place.
I encourage each and every one of you to break away from what feels comfortable and really engage and learn from people who come from different places around the world. After all a ship in the harbour is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for!
It is only human for people to gravitate towards what is familiar, but that’s not what London Business School was built for, so I dare you to be more.
Onwards and Upwards!
To find out more about the Masters in Finance full-time programme, visit our website here.
If you have any questions about the programme, please contact us at mif@london.edu