As part of its 60th-anniversary celebrations, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is introducing 60 future healthcare professionals who are currently in their first year. Meet Lethabo Ramasobana.

If dreams could come true, Lethabo Ramasobana would own a hospital one day.

"I’ve always looked up to an uncle who is a doctor, and I want to be better than him,” he says of his motivation to study MB,ChB at Stellenbosch University.

Ramasobana is currently a first-year student and resident in Huis Kerkenberg. Though he’s lived in a hostel from a young age, to be so far away from his home in Polokwane and his friends this year was still tough. But, he says, meeting new people has been eye-opening. “They’ve exposed me to another side of life.”

His studies have also kept him on his toes: “It’s constantly challenging me to work harder, which is a good thing,” he says.

Ramasobana describes himself as a “boundary pusher” and says his friends know that he doesn’t conform to norms, but still he likes sticking to his daily routine to get things done.

His top study tip? "Leave your phone alone and on silent."

Fast facts:

• Message to your older self? “You can do anything. You don’t have to rely on anyone to do it for you, but never shy away from asking for help when it gets hard.”
• Favourite movie character? “Mr Bean. He doesn’t speak much, yet the movies are funny.”
• Motto you live by? “Work smart and be consistent with high standards.”
• What would you change about South Africa? “The racial mentality and corruption in government.”
• What makes you positive about South Africa? “We can find humour in most conditions.”