Kershni Moodley

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My name is Kershni Moodley and I am 21 years old.  I am on my final year of study at the University at Durban-Westville in South Africa.  My majors are microbiology and psychology.  This may sound like an odd combination of the sciences and the arts, but my choice is quite simple to explain I am equally fascinated by the complexity of micro-organisms as well as people.  Microbiology is a relatively new field, full of unopened avenues of exploration.  It is the ambiguity of micro-organisms that first sparked my interest in them.  The passion for psychology developed later, and it now seems as though my interest lies mainly in community and neuropsychology.

I am the eldest child of Amurdalingam and Pushparathy Moodley.  I have a sister who attends the M.L. Sultan Technikon and a brother who is in his first year of study at the University of Durban-Westville we live in a large block of flats in the suburb of overport which is very close to central Durban.  My family life has always been happy and the financial strains have been lessened through sheer grit and the determination to see things through.

In all honesty, I can never say that I have always known difficulty, since my parents never burdened us with these worries while we were still at school.  We never had many luxuries, but neither did many other children.  Most school expenses are state subsidized and the only large expense is that accounted for by school uniforms.

My family’s acute financial burden only became apparent when I decided to enroll at university.  By this time my father was unemployed since being retrenched through disinvestment some 8 years previously.  My parents decided that it would be worth their while to work hard and sacrifice any pleasures for the next few years so that their children may receive tertiary education. 

It is extremely difficult to find permanent employment with benefits, so my father has been working part-time as a driver and hawker.  My mother works from home selling home baked confectionaries and savouries and cooking for functions.  My sister and I both work part-time on Friday afternoons and Saturdays.  During the June and December vacations, we have part-time jobs and these monies have contributed toward paying our fees.  This year, thanks to the USSAS bursary, I am able to continue studying, since my brother had also shown an interest in wanting to attend university.

I matriculated at overport secondary school.  I enjoyed my academic career at school and I participated in many codes of sport.  I represented overport secondary school in volleyball, table tennis and athletics and I was fortune enough to tour most of Natal, competing in sport.  In addition, I was a member of the class debating team in English and Afrikaans.  Also, I was a regular contestant in the English Olympiad which is a nationwide literature competition.

I have many happy memories of school, but never long to go back.  I enjoy university immensely.  It’s hard work, but all that is worthwhile in the end.

Since enrolling at UDW, I have gained credits Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics and Biochemistry, apart from Microbiology and Psychology.   I hope to continue with post graduate research in Psychology in the field of community psychology, focusing on the role of women as primary care givers and/or sole supporter of a household.

I am a member of the Hindu Students Association whilst, the main focus lies in cultural enrichment, we also aim to assist the underprivileged, the elderly and the aged.   I have been particularly interested in the role of women in society.  Society is profoundly patriarchal where the status of women is one of powerlessness, and very often the subjugation of women is justified on the basis of tradition. These issues need to be seriously addressed and societal injustices against women need to be investigated.

Lastly, but most of all, not leastly, I would once again like to take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance.  I am most grateful.

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