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UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL FOUNDATION 9COVER FEATUREUKZN PhD Student Champions Education and BREAST CANCER AWARENESSMELISSA MUNGROOUKZN PhD student, Miss World South Africa finalist and Oppenheimer Trust Memorial scholarship recipient Ms Jesmika Singh is an advocate for breast cancer awareness and education as her journey into breast cancer research is deeply personal. At the age of 14, she lost her mother to breast cancer, which shaped her aspirations and commitment to making a difference in the fight against the disease. This personal tragedy propelled her into the field of genetics and cellular biology, where she graduated summa cum laude from Ms Jesmika Singh, an advocate for breast cancer awareness. UKZN before completing her honours and master%u2019s degrees in human genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Singh is now working under a female-led team spanning UKZN, UCT and the South African Medical Research Council for her PhD, contributing to a dedicated South African cancer consortium aimed at making treatments more accessible and effective.Singh served as class representative for her Honours in Human Genetics degree, graduating with a first-class pass. %u2018My MSc in Medicine, specialising in Cancer Biotechnology and Immunotherapy, is one of my proudest achievements, earning 93% for my thesis %u2013 the highest ever in my lab. I value the balance between academics, outreach and other activities,%u2019 she said. Beyond the laboratory, Singh is committed to translating scientific knowledge into actionable, life-changing awareness. She has worked extensively with the Breast Health Foundation and Eh!Woza to educate South Africans about breast cancer,