Next year, when medical student Jessica Davies continues in her role as Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council Chairperson as well as class representative for her fellow fifth-year MBChB V classmates, she will ensure that the changes she helped facilitate in the same roles during the past year will remain in place.

“I reapplied (for both positions) for the sake of continuity. I felt there was still work to be done," the Cape Town born-and-bred Davies said in an interview.

Davies is one of the recipients of this year's annual Rector's Awards for Excellent Achievement which celebrates the achievements of students in academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision. She received the award in the Leadership category.

In the coming year, Davies will also serve as Chairperson for the Stellenbosch University Surgical Society and the Administration Officer for the International Association of Student Surgical Societies.

Davies, who has been an active member of the Tygerberg campus – including being involved in compiling the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council Constitution and drafting and implementing the Council's Co-Curriculum – was also a volunteer at the Sisonke Trial's Tygerberg Hospital Vaccination Centre.

She was also part of the Quintin Robot Innovation Project at Tygerberg Hospital. “Quintin" is a remote-controlled tele-presence robot that, among other things, has helped to put patients in Tygerberg Hospital's COVID-19 ICU in virtual contact with their families.

Davies and fellow medical student Azhar Adam Nadkar participated in the John Hopkins School of Public Health's Innovate4Health Global Student Design Sprint – an initiative which aims to “inspire innovators for the future to tackle the urgent challenges and health inequities of emerging infections". They were selected out of many international applicants to expand Quintin's role. 

Turning to her role in the Tygerberg Academic Affairs Council, Davies said: “Before 2020, the committee itself did not really have a function. Class representatives were left to figure things out by themselves. My biggest goal last year, starting in this role, was to refine how the committee worked and the support it provides to class representatives and ensure it performs its functions. A lot of the changes we worked on were centred around finding our niche and voice. We wanted to come in and jumble things up a bit and challenge the norms. We experienced a few challenges but the growth has been wonderful to see."

Asked what drives her in her work and studies, Davies, who hopes to specialise in surgery, said: “I enjoy learning new things and constantly challenging myself, in leadership, academics and interpersonal skills."

Her inspiration has been Prof Julia Blitz, Vice Dean of Learning and Teaching at SU's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who retired in April 2021. “She carried us through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I was in awe of her ability to hold our entire campus together and navigate the immense challenges the pandemic brought. She always kept a level head and was the voice of reason in every situation. I could always rely on her to provide insight and assistance. She has played a huge role in shaping the leader I've become." 

Click here to read more about the Rector's Awards and  recipients. 

*A total of 82 top Stellenbosch University (SU) students were recently honoured with Rector's Awards for excellence in academics, leadership, social impact, culture, sport and service provision. During the next few weeks, we will feature some of the winners.