UNDEFEATED FOR 5 YEARS: THE STORY OF UNZA’S BEST FEMALE OVERALL MEDICAL STUDENT
The 24-year-old University of Zambia student is aspiring to one day become a paediatric neurosurgeon and continued to be top of class as a medical student.
“I always want the best and nothing less,” Songiwe Chiluba says.
Ms Chiluba is a Zambian young lady, a University of Zambia best medical student who has remained undefeated for 5 years. She shares her inspiration with Girl Empowerment Alliance for Change to inspire many other girls across the globe.
Besides her family and friends, Ms Chiluba holds few other things in high regard than her passion for the medical Profession. Her first love in the medical field is paediatric neurosurgery which she intends to specialize in. Many of her colleagues colloquially refer her as a nerd yet there is so much more to her than meets the eyes, which begs the question:
who is Songiwe Chiluba?
Born and bred in Lusaka, Ms Chiluba is a second born in a family of two. She lost her parents at a young age and thus raised separate from her only sibling. She was raised by her grandparents, her grandfather always saw something special in her and encouraged her to work hard.
She always has had love for science since her early days of academia and served as Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists (JETS) Club president, on the way collecting regional and national prizes. This was exemplified by her impressive performance at the University of Zambia (UNZA), where she has been top of her class since her first year. Not forgetting other various academic accolades such as best student in human anatomy and pediatrics and child health.
Research is the foundation of all science, hence she developed love for science. The sixth year of medical school provides a chance to understand research better and this set a platform for her to explore her interest further. Seeing how research plays a cardinal role in the development of medicine and how she can apply this in her practice, this has prompted her to venture more into research beyond the confines of her syllabus. Because of this she was able to participate in the recent National health research conference, under the young emerging scientists (YES) Zambia, during which she scoped two prizes; one for her case report on a postnatally diagnosed omphalocele and another was her sixth-year research study on knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of pregnant women towards caesarean section and anaesthesia.
It would be easy to assume that her life has always been a success but Songiwe has had her fair share of struggles. She was not always the best and struggled greatly to find her footing at University, especially being from a school not so popular for producing outstanding students. And after failing her first physics test, her confidence was tested, doubting whether she would ever attain her goals. When she eventually made it to the school of medicine, she thought the hard patch had passed but more challenges lay ahead. Her journey through medical school has so far has had many ups and downs and thoughts of self doubt, but what has helped her stay afloat is the mentorship from her brother.
Aside from academia, she also had financial challenges, coming from a humble background, she knew that the only way she could get through university was with a 100% bursary, anything else would mean goodbye to university. So when she was initially denied sponsorship, she thought all hope was lost, but eventually she was considered for a second selection. It has not been smooth sailing from there but she is determined to work hard making no excuses.
– Girl Empowerment Alliance for Change
