​​Alexander O'Riordan can think of nothing more satisfying than to close his chapter at Stellenbosch University (SU) with the 2021 Rector's Award of Excellent Achievement.

O'Riordan, one of the 82 recipients of this this annual award, was recently honoured in the top master's student category. The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of students in the areas of academics, sport, leadership, social impact, culture and service provision.

The Hout Bay native, who graduated with a Master's in Economics, said he is extremely happy to receive the Rector's Award.

“It is a good way to bring my time at Stellenbosch to a close. To me, it is an indication that I followed my passion and made the right choice to study at SU. Moreover, it is the realisation of a goal and a perfect culmination of the effort I put in over the last few years."

Asked about the secret to his success, he said, “I think I got lucky. I enjoyed what I was doing in my master's year, so it did not feel like hard work. I also found that once I developed a holistic lifestyle, I started to excel academically. So don't only focus on studying hard, spend time with friends, drive down to Strand beach for a surf, go rock climbing, volunteer, do a part-time internship, and spend some time at the University's LaunchLab."

O'Riordan credits his mom for his work ethic.

“My mother is an inspiration to me. As a single mom with two small children, she worked full time whilst studying accounting. She took us from small flats in Hout Bay, moving every few months, to a house on the hills in Somerset West, close to some of the best schools in the country. I worked hard and tried to get good marks to show her that the effort she put into my development was not wasted," he said.

O'Riordan, who will take up a full-time position with an international economic consulting firm in November, hopes to establish himself in the venture capital industry. “I kept myself busy with part-time engagements in the venture capital field and with academic research. I hope to develop myself into a useful member of the African venture capital and private equity industries and to eventually help develop African start-up ecosystems and the broader economy."

He has the following advice for current student: “Focus and be present with whatever task you are currently engaged with. For example, when you're working on an essay it should be the only thing on your mind. Then when you are out with friends or running on the mountain, you should not be thinking at all about work."

Click here to read more about the awards and all the recipients.

*A total of 82 top Stellenbosch University (SU) students were recently honoured with Rector's Awards for excellence in academics, leadership, social impact, culture, sport and service provision. During the next few weeks, we will feature some of the winners.​