Alumni Apply

The Scholarship
The Scholars

Michelle Mawanda

Uganda & University of Cape Town, 2025

Michelle graduated magna cum laude for her Bachelor of Laws at the Islamic University in Uganda.

She served as the first female president of the debate union at her university.

Michelle has led impactful initiatives like the Inaugural Inter-Faculty debates elevating the union’s profile and encouraging female participation in an otherwise male dominated field.

She has also participated in regional and international debate and public speaking tournaments like the Pan African Universities Debate Championships in Ghana and the Haradali Open in Kenya.

She is a peer mentor at the SheLaws Foundation, and a co-founder of Waape – a tech innovation revolutionizing Africa’s digital talent space through connecting young people to employers using edge cutting AI.

Michelle is also a fish farmer utilizing sustainable practices to promote environmental stewardship and economic development.

She is currently pursuing an LLM in Commercial Law and hopes to be equipped with skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to the Ugandan corporate and commercial environment.

DecorationMichelle Mawanda

Could you be a Mandela Rhodes Scholar?

See if you qualify

© Mandela Rhodes Foundation ·  Privacy policy  ·  Contact
Website by Entle