Daughter of 2 Stellenbosch Farmworkers Realises Dream to Become Doctor

Yvonne Dyum always had her heart set on becoming a doctor. And although the daughter of Stellenbosch farmworkers had her share of obstacles, she never let anything stand in her way. She focussed, persevered… and has made her dream come true.

Yvonne joined over 700 students of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to receive her qualification on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old was born in a rural town in the Eastern Cape, but spent most of her life in Stellenbosch, where her parents – Cynthia and Chriswell – became farmworkers at the Muratie Wine Estate.

“I went to the old Driehoek Primary School where we were only 50 learners in total. Then I attended Cloetesville High School, where I matriculated in 2009,” she told Wayne Muller, in an article on SU’s website.

At first her matric results weren’t good enough to be accepted for medical studies at the university. But this didn’t deter Yvonne.

She instead enrolled for the University’s SciMathUS programme – a bridging programme which helps matriculants improve their science and maths marks so that they can be accepted for Stellenbosch’s medical studies.

“It gave me a huge boost,” she says, “and prepared me for the challenges of university studies. I also learned to focus on my strong points. After the year at SciMathUS my results were good and I was accepted to study Medicine.

“I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I can remember; there were never any other options,” she says. The pursuit of dreams runs in the family.

Yvonne says she was supported along the way by her family (her older brother studied Mechanical Engineering) and the SciMathUS teachers with whom she’s still in touch.

She admits “there were tough years, but the support helped a lot. And I kept my focus on my goals.”

Yvonne finished her final year at the Ukwanda Rural Clinical School in Worcester, where she was able to work with patients in rural areas, an experience she totally enjoyed “because I actually want to work in a rural area and contribute to health care in places where medical treatment is not readily available.”

Next year, she returns to the Eastern Cape to do her internship in Uitenhage.

Source: SUN.ac.za