Despite numerous setbacks and moments where giving up seemed tempting, Sueyanka Subroyen is glad she persevered with her academic studies as she took to the graduation stage and graduated Cum Laude with her Master of Applied Science in Biotechnology at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) 2024 Autumn Graduation ceremony on Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at the Olive Convention Centre, in Durban.
The 27-year-old began her journey with the DUT in 2015, when she registered for her National Diploma in Biotechnology. As the person who had always enjoyed science since a young age, her excitement was short-lived as the transition from high school to university proved difficult for her.
“The course was amazing but I struggled with traditional study methods, so my academic performance had suffered. I had failed two major modules in my second year. It was very difficult for me to accept as failure was unfamiliar to me. I was discouraged at first but used it as motivation to push through,” she narrated.
In 2019, Subroyen resumed her one year internship at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology which formed part of the requirements for her Diploma. It was during that time where her passion for research blossomed, and she then decided to further her studies.
“I had received my National Diploma in 2019 and went on to complete my Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology in 2020 under the supervision of Dr Isaac Dennis Amoah and Dr Leanne Pillay at IWWT. During this time, I was offered a position as a Master’s student under the supervision of Professor Faizal Bux, Professor Sheena Kumari, and Dr Leanne Pillay. I eagerly accepted and began my Master of Applied Science in Biotechnology in 2021 where my research focused on wastewater-based epidemiology, viral surveillance, and molecular biology,” she explained.
She is currently employed as a research and admin assistant at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (DUT). She is responsible for the molecular biology laboratory, and is actively involved in research collaborations where she oversees the method of development and conducting laboratory analysis.
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Pictured: Sueyanka Subroyen
Thubelihle Dumakude
