Congratulations - Stephan Gericke: Winner of Study Abroad Bursary US$1,000

We want to extend a congratulations to Stephan Gericke - Winner of the Golden Key Study Abroad Bursary valued at US$1,000. Stephan has been involved in Golden Key for more than five years and as an Alumni member he has excelled in all aspects of his life.
This is what Stephan Gericke had to say:

"I am Stephan Gericke and a grateful recipient of the 2011 Study Abroad Golden Key Award. I am from Pretoria, South Africa, but I am currently residing in the United Kingdom. Golden Key has contributed to my acceptance as an MPhil student at the University of Cambridge. At the Cambridge’s centre for music and science I am pursuing an education in a specialised and novel field of research which is not widely taught at tertiary institutions in the world, namely the interdisciplinary field of music cognition and perception. I am doing research in the perception of the immediate intelligibility of vocal auditory stimuli and timbre – research which I wish to pursue further on a PhD level. Furthermore, it has always been my dream to study abroad, especially at an institution as world-renowned as Cambridge.

I have been involved in Golden Key for several years. I was a recipient of the Chapter Award at my Golden Key new member ceremony and I soon became a committee member at the University of Pretoria Chapter where I served on various portfolios and as Chapter President in 2008 – 2009. I was fortunate to attend the International conferences and represent our thriving chapter in both New Orleans in 2008, and Orlando in 2009. For the term 2009 – 2010 I was appointed as the South African representative for the CoSM.

Through my involvement with Golden Key I encountered inspirational people (many of whom remain friends), developed leadership, social, business and networking skills, obtained the courage to make a difference, and recognised the value of combining all these diverse skillsets to benefit one’s own career and the community. Most of all, Golden Key showed me that it is individuals with integrity, loyalty, humility and a strong sense of ethics, who transcend preconceived concepts of success in all aspects of life.

I am very, very grateful to the Study Abroad Golden Key Award whose financial support is making this life-changing and career-benefiting opportunity a reality."

We wish Stephan all the best with his studies and future endeavours. He is a true Golden Key ambassador.