Yvonne Sihle Mashaba, a final-year master’s student in Agricultural Economics at the University of Pretoria (UP), was selected as a Student Ambassador of the Talloires Network in April. The Talloires Network is an international association of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education. 

In October 2014, Yvonne applied to be invited to the Annual Talloires Network Leaders Conference to be held in Cape Town. In November she was delighted to receive the good news that she had been selected from about 40 students from around the world to attend the international conference in December 2014. At the conference she was invited to apply for the role of student leader and ambassador of the Talloires Network.

‘I applied for this [position] in March 2015 and was ecstatic to receive the email in April advising that I was one of eight international student ambassadors selected,’ said Yvonne. For Yvonne this role brings an opportunity to contribute by letting her voice as a student be heard and to ensure that her input in the Talloires Network becomes important, ‘especially in the successful implementation of policy changes at universities engaged in community services,’ she said.  

Congratulating Yvonne on her appointment, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of UP, Prof Cheryl de la Rey, added: ‘This is wonderful for UP. Well done!’

For more information on the Talloires Network please visit http://talloiresnetwork.tufts.edu/