For the love of science

Ola mi amigos! My name is Hella Nekomba, a 19-year-old computer science student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). I am currently a first-year student and I plan on majoring in cybersecurity, a field of study that does not have as many women.

I have always seen myself studying something with the word science right next to it. Whether in the medical field or tech field was a question that I found difficult to answer. I officially got into computer science and stuck with that decision for quite some time. And I must say, I am loving every minute of it.

My passion for this field came from a love for computers. In addition to that, being a woman who is into computers is quite rare and cool, so this led to the growth of the passion.

Seeing the number of women increase in this field is motivation for me, because I see that the future for me looks very promising.

My varsity experience so far is chilled. You know the phrase that goes ‘I just arrived’? That is literally my whole experience in university; nothing too complicated. I haven't been through the whole "stressed schedule" experience yet, most probably because I have just started, but I am eager to see what lies ahead.

However, I have learnt that this course can be quite tricky if not well equipped with all the study material as that could bite you in the foot. So, I constantly try and keep myself up to date with the activities and teachings I am taught each and every day.

In addition, I actually understand now what people meant when they said in university no lecturer chases anybody, hence my efforts to not get lost in the glamorous varsity lifestyle because it can be a little tricky to balance both.

My main aim is to take up space in the field of computer science like never before, just to show that women are able to be tech fanatics as well, especially when it comes to cybersecurity.

Computer science is a course that requires dedication in order for you to get great results. You need to put in your all and more. I would advise that anybody looking to get into this course be very serious and put in absolutely everything.