Dancing her way to medicine
Durban - Dancing and medicine go hand in hand for Avishka Chewpersad, a top Bachelor of Medical Science Honours student in medical biochemistry (cum laude) among the latest batch of graduates from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
“I want to one day have a doctor’s practice and a dance studio next to one another,” she told the “Independent on Saturday”.
While Chewpersad, who has now started studying medicine, has ambitions of specialising in the cardio-thoracic field, followed by pathology in her older years “when my eyes and hands won’t be as good”, her dancing genres are the Indian classical dance form, bharatanatyam, and hip hop, which she performs as well as teaches with the Kumari Shiksha Dance Institute.
“If one day I cannot, I hope my students will take on my legacy,” she said of her dancing.
Chewpersad, 26, has found dancing a way of coping with academic stress, especially after heavy studying and reading academic articles.
“It’s very calming.”
She performed for the Jungle Book movie and also danced at dance festivals in Germany as well at several local cultural events.
She was introduced to Indian classical dancing at the age of three.
“I remember crying. I didn’t want to do it, but I am very grateful to my mother for wanting me to pursue it.”
Chewpersad said she comes from a middle-class family in Phoenix, matriculated at Palmview Secondary School and was the first in her family to attend university.
Working to pay her way through her studies has been a feature of much of her student life. Including now.
With Chewpersad making up the top two in the course is Aaliyah Mangerah, who is now a Master’s student in medical biochemistry and with PhD ambitions.
Mangerah has been identified as one of the 100 top-performing female students completing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree at UKZN and was invited to a high tea in honour of women in STEM hosted by Johnson & Johnson in conjunction with the university.
“It was incredible being in the presence of so many strong women,” she said.
The Independent on Saturday