Ntando Ntenza: “I want to make the people in my life proud”
Ntando Ntenza grew up in South Africa and only recently moved to Europe, but her home country still has her heart. “I loved it,” she says. Her schooling began in the South African curriculum, until her parents—determined to give their daughters the best opportunities—moved her into the British education system at a young age. “I must have been around ten when I switched to the Cambridge curriculum. I repeated a year—not because I’d failed anything, but because my parents thought it would prepare me better. It really knocked my confidence for a while, but in the end it helped me catch up and settle in.”
While still living in South Africa, Ntando completed her A-levels under Cambridge International. After graduating, she spent a year and a half studying chemical engineering at the University of Pretoria. “Then my dad got a job opportunity in Germany, and my parents wanted even better education for my sister and me. So we moved.” Her parents are now based in Bonn, while Ntando continued her studies at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
Her parents’ strong belief in education is shaped by their own background. “They didn’t grow up with many privileges. They know how transformative education can be, how it can open doors. They worked incredibly hard to build a better life, and they wanted us to have opportunities they never had.” That sense of purpose came with both motivation and pressure. “A lot of it came from myself. I want to make the people in my life proud—and I want to make myself proud too.”
Adjusting to student life in the Netherlands brought cultural and academic differences. “Classes are much smaller than in South Africa, which makes it easier to talk to teachers. There’s less distance between professors and students. And it’s much more hands-on: practicals every second week, lots of independent study, and many group projects. It’s very interactive.”
Life outside the classroom took some adapting as well. “It’s cold, it rains all the time, and I’m still learning to cycle,” she laughs. But Dutch lessons helped, and friendships made the transition easier.
Looking ahead, Ntando sees several possible paths—green energy or pharmaceutical development, both areas of chemical engineering she finds meaningful. She isn’t sure yet how long she’ll stay in the Netherlands, nor whether she will return to South Africa someday. “I love it there, but safety and opportunities are concerns.”
Asked what qualities make a good scientist, she answers without hesitation: “Collaboration. Being able to see problems from different perspectives and turn theory into practice. Staying open to people.”
Ntando is honoured to be nominated for the award. “I didn’t even know something like this existed. I couldn’t have done it without my family, friends, and professors.” Her parents, she adds proudly, will travel from Bonn to attend the ceremony in Haarlem.
