I am proud to announce that I am no longer a Masters of Science student (MSc), as I have recently upgraded to being a PhD candidate. What this basically means is that I forgo masters and go straight to doctorate level. The work that I have been doing, in completion of my MSc, will now be adjusted, modified and expanded upon, to create a PhD dissertation that I will hopefully submit the year after next.

My masters work that originally focused on the skaapsteker genus (Psammophylax), will be expanded upon to create a study that looks at the entire sub-family (Psammophiinae). My updated focus will build on the molecular and morphometric work done in my masters and add an ecological element to create a more rounded, more sophisticated, more thorough explanation of the evolutionary mechanisms influencing the sub-family.

Never in a million years did I ever think I would be in this position. Back in grade ten I was called into the vice-principals office to discuss my subject selection. During this meeting, I was ‘advised’ to drop science, because I was told I lack the academic capabilities to pass the subject. Add Eight years and now I am doing my PhD. Whilst there were a lot of people that did not believe in me, there were a lot of people that did.  Thanks to my family, my friends, my colleagues and my supervisors for all the support. Special thanks goes to my supervisors, Dr Shelley Edwards and Werner Conradie, for their constant support and belief in me, it is appreciated more than you can possibly imagine.