Preshnee and Reagan Moodley met at the Merensky Library on the University of Pretoria (UP) Hatfield Campus on 6 November 2003 – and 20 years down the line this pair of UP alumni lovebirds is still happily married, with three children who they hope to send to UP for their academic studies.

“He asked me if I was a first-year student and wanted direction to the finance section of the library – with a smirk on his face,” Preshnee remembers. “I knew then that I’d just met my soulmate. It was love at first sight.”

Reagan says there’s no formula they can recommend to guarantee 20 years of relative marital bliss – it’s their love for one another that keeps them going. “My wife and I spend a lot of time with our three children. We share common goals. We love cooking together,” he says. “We have a well-balanced life between our careers, entertainment, and family time. We continuously express our love towards each other, showing a deeper appreciation for each other. As I travel abroad, my wife writes me short letters and love poems for each day I am away from her.”

Preshnee graduated with a LLB degree in 2005 and currently works as a Senior Legal Counsel and Company Secretary at global mobility-solutions firm Alstom Southern Africa Pty Ltd. Reagan obtained an MBA in 2006 and is currently the CEO and Director of AGW Systems (Pty) Ltd, a company he founded which designs aluminium doors and windows as well as a range of glass accessories and finished goods.

Preshnee says getting her qualification at UP boosted her confidence, enabling her to become comfortable with presenting and speaking to large groups.

“As a student participating in the case studies, business simulation projects, moot court… all of this exposure helped me to understand the expectations and values that the workplace would offer in the future,” she says. “These life experiences, personal research, and volunteer projects taught me skills and time management while preparing for exams.”

She believes she and fellow alumni have a role to play in getting involved in engagements that could serve as a social model to foster greater education in general. “As alumni we serve as effective role models to other students, share personal experiences across academic and social life, [and can help foster] self-discipline and personality formation, such as developing soft skills.”

Reagan echoes his wife’s sentiments, saying obtaining his MBA at UP helped him shift from an engineering career to a finance career at Eskom. “It helped me move boundaries to move up the corporate ladder.”

The journey was not an easy one, though: “The early days were tough and challenging, and I had to persevere to make it a success. Having an engineering background and studying finance as part of the MBA provided me with a strong skill set to create financial models and simulate scenarios in business that set us apart from the competitors.”

Ten years after completing his MBA he decided to leave the corporate world and become an entrepreneur. “My MBA allowed me to think out of the box, think strategically, and see opportunities in all spheres of life.”

He says UP’s MBA is well-structured and the curriculum is the best, which is why he’s considering enrolling for his PhD soon.

Another thing both parents agree on – UP is definitely the first choice for their children, who are currently in grades nine and 10.

They say meeting people from all over the country and world with different backgrounds make up some of their fondest memories at UP. “We have created great lasting friendships and memories that we continue to maintain as the years have passed by.”