Page 46 - Thetha Issue 7

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Ours is South Africa’s
10th

medical school

Luke Rudman

Contemporary artist Luke Rudman is completing his
honours in Fine Art at Nelson Mandela University. The
spaces of environmentalism, drag and live performance
art all add to his way of creating art that sits in the
intersection of painting, photography, performance
and installation. Luke has already worked across South
Africa and abroad and been a finalist in the 2021,
2022 and 2023 Sasol New Signatures national art
competition. Over the past six years, starting in high
school, he has contributed to exhibitions and projects
such as Google Arts and Culture, Rich Mnisi, the recent
Turbine Art Fair and Design Indaba. He is also a regular
collaborator with eco-giant Greenpeace Africa.

Area of influence: Painting and art

What you’ll find: Mind-bending works of art in
glorious colour

@lukerudman

12k
Followers

Vanessa Mapholi

BCom Economics honours student Vanessa Mapholi is a content creator, research enthusiast
and academic influencer. She first went to the University of Johannesburg before settling
in at Nelson Mandela University. “Since my failure at UJ I made a vow that I was going
to make a drastic change because I see a lot of mistakes which could have cost me
my career and chance to escape poverty, and make my family proud,” says Vanessa.
“As such, I have dedicated my social media platforms to educating people and
giving them hope.” It is certainly working for her, because she is just been hired by
PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the Big Four accounting firms. Her aspiration to
be a diplomat at the United Nations is now one step closer!

Area of influence: Career motivation

What you’ll find: Relatable career and study tips

@mapholivanessa

Look for
76k Alkebulan and the
Followers blue butterfly

44 | Thetha Edition 7 | 2023