Name: Peggy-Sue Khumalo
Degree: Msc Economics
From: South Africa

In 1996, Peggy-Sue Khumalo was crowned Miss South Africa. With encouragement and personal recommendation to come to the UK from former president Nelson Mandela, she graduated with an MSc degree in Economics in 2004.

Why Manchester?

Former President Mandela asked me what I would like to do after my reign as Miss South Africa and I told him that I would like to get a degree but my family could not afford it.

He called me one day and told me that he had found me a sponsor and it was now up to me to decide where I wanted to study. He recommended the UK and once I had received my offers I chose Manchester and coming to Manchester has been the best thing in my life.

Study

The Masters programme is a really close-knit group so you really interact with people and get to know them. People express and apply themselves.

My experience at the University has been challenging but fulfilling, academically and personally. One of the things I enjoyed was being able to be myself and live my life without feeling conscious about what I look like.

The city

It's a really pretty city that is very student orientated - I love shopping at the Trafford Centre. London is much more expensive compared to Manchester and also more congested. You can walk freely in Manchester!

On campus, I was a student rep in halls and I joined the debating society. The debating society was a good way to learn more about British people, their culture and the issues that affect them.

The future

I would like to do things that Nelson Mandela can look back on and say "The opportunity I gave her was something she used to contribute to the development of South Africa."

I am planning on working for my sponsors, the Investec Investment Bank in South Africa.