Simphiwe Mngoma is a BA (Hons) student in Media Studies. He completed matric in 2001 and struggled to get into tertiary education for three years until the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Chicago IL and the Institute of Training and Education for Capacity Building (ITEC), East London came to his rescue in 2005 and assisted him in securing funding for his studies. He holds a BA in Media Studies and International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Simphiwe has worked for Media 24, Kaya FM and eTV. He is also the founder of the National Applications Centre (NAC), an educational development programme focusing on school-based career guidance, capacity building and informed access to tertiary education for rural/disadvantaged/under-resourced schools and youth across KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape. The programme is supported by various stakeholders such as the Department of Education, Media 24, National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), local government, the private sector and many others. He hopes to work with the government, Media 24, SABC Education / Public Affairs in continuously finding innovative ways in which the media can be used to improve the South African education system. Simphiwe enjoys surfing the internet, travelling, reading and public speaking.

email: HSM@applicationscentre.co.za