Choosing to pursue a commerce degree was a no-brainer for Ms Nadia Bana. The Westville resident who hails from a family with a strong commerce background, obtained a cum laude pass in Bachelor of Commerce at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Bana’s family have been in the retail sector for many years. Her father and siblings completed degrees in commerce.
Her passion especially for economics and finance enabled her to obtain a cum laude pass. ‘It seemed like a natural and intuitive choice. When I got further in my degree I fell in love with the field of economics and its concepts and model-nature was such an appealing way of thinking and understanding our world as well as finance for its practicality and usability in everyday life.’
She encourages young people to consider commerce as an area of study as she believes it not only develops ones thinking but it is very practical and usable. She said: ‘There is a variety of options one could go to in the commerce field such as management consulting, financial services, asset management or even entrepreneurship.’
Bana’s academic achievement was celebrated by all in her family, she said: ‘My family is very proud of me. A big part of my success is attributed to them, as they have been there for every small win as well as all the failures. They believed in me, when I didn’t believe in myself.’
A solid foundation she received from academics in the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance has encouraged her to continue with her academic journey. She is currently studying towards an honours degree in finance.
Words: Hazel Langa
