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October 23, 2011 By

Luvuyo Mandela

Background : Left S. Africa for the US in 2003
High School : Graduated Saint Anne’s Belfield HS 2005
University : Graduated from Hamilton College 2009
Degree : Philosophy
Hometown : Durban, South-Africa
Currently : Accounts Manager: National Empowerment Ratings Agency
Biography : Luvuyo Mandela got involved with Miles & Associates in 2002 shortly after being selected to the South African National under 18 basketball team.Luvuyo’s talent and leadership on the basketball court unfortunately did not translate well to the classroom during that time of his life and although he was only 16 years old, he was in his final year of high school. Luvuyo was an average student in the classroom and was facing the difficulties of attempting to enrol into South Africa’s top universities.Miles & Associates provided Luvuyo with an opportunity to introduce balance into his high school career and offered him a basketball scholarship in the United States. With high school graduation in S. Africa only two months away, Luvuyo made a bold life changing decision to accept the opportunity to attend St. Anne’s Belfield High School – a private school in Charlottesville, Virginia. He enrolled as a junior thus agreeing to complete two additional years of high school before graduating in May of 2005.What could have appeared to be a painful two year sacrifice was turned into an opportunity for Luvuyo to re-construct his high school experience in an environment that demanded excellence both in-and-out of the classroom. Luvuyo’s progress at St. Anne’s Belfield School was stellar and he illustrated his talents in many ways. The highlight was him being awarded the “Class of 1984 Memorial Prize” – a Student Leadership Award that was the highest non-academic achievement a St. Anne’s Belfield student could achieve. Luvuyo’s experience at St. Anne’s Belfield then culminated in him being offered a full 4-year scholarship to attend Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.Luvuyo graduated from Hamilton College in four years with a diploma in Philosophy. His concentration in Ethics led to the construction of his final thesis titled Amandla Ngawethu: Transformation in South Africa. Luvuyo returned to South Africa immediately after graduation and he currently works as an Accounts Manager at the National Empowerment Ratings Agency (NERA).

Luvuyo continues to give back as he volunteers for various youth development organizations in South Africa.
  “Being the first Black South African to go to America on a basketball scholarship was intimidating because I knew that my success or failure would affect whether other South Africans got the same type of opportunities in the future.”
– Thabo Letsebe

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