ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2025
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 60,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2025 on 7,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 290+ campuses worldwide (less than 5%) were selected to host the 4,500+ Millennium Fellows.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT KEABETSWE SYLVIA BUHLUNGU, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2025.
University of Cape Town | Cape Town, South Africa | Advancing SDG 8, SDG 10 & UNAI 3
" I am excited to be a Millennium Fellow because it offers a platform to merge my passion for sustainable engineering with my commitment to making STEM accessible and inspiring for young learners, creating impact that extends from classrooms to communities. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: EmpowerEd Futures
EmpowerEd Futures is a community outreach and mentorship initiative aimed at supporting students from underprivileged schools and backgrounds. The project seeks to empower learners by providing mentorship, career guidance, and exposure to available opportunities and resources, helping them make informed decisions about their academic and professional futures.
A key component of the project is financial literacy education, equipping students with practical skills such as budgeting, saving, and responsible money management. By combining mentorship, educational support, and financial empowerment, EmpowerEd Futures directly contributes to SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, helping young people realize their potential despite limited resources.
The project will begin by selecting a group of students from local disadvantaged schools to benefit from focused mentorship and skills development. Through this small group, other students in the community can indirectly benefit as knowledge and inspiration are shared.
Measurable Goals (August–December 2025):
>Host 3–4 workshops covering mentorship, career guidance, education pathways, and financial literacy.
>Reach at least 150 students from disadvantaged schools and communities.
>Establish a sustainable mentorship network connecting UCT students with learners.
>Provide accessible learning materials (digital and in-person) to ensure ongoing impact beyond the Fellowship.
About the Millennium Fellow
Keabetswe Buhlungu is an ambitious and forward-thinking Chemical Engineering student at the University of Cape Town, specializing in Mineral Processing. Born in Rustenburg, North West, she is passionate about advancing sustainable engineering practices that meet industry demands while protecting the environment. Beyond her academic pursuits, she is dedicated to inspiring high school learners to see STEM as an exciting and attainable field, rather than an intimidating one. Through her leadership and vision, she aims to drive innovation in mineral processing while empowering the next generation of scientists and engineers.
