Aaron Naidu Off to Oxford!
By Dawn Haynes – A young Durban Catholic is off to pursue a master’s degree at the prestigious University of Oxford in England, thanks to a scholarship.
Aaron Naidu recently graduated summa cum laude with a honours BSc degree in Statistics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Having been awarded six dean’s commendations throughout his years of study for a BSc in Data Science, Aaron was overjoyed to hear that he had been awarded the Peter Thomason scholarship to continue his studies.
Aaron will be “Off to Oxford!” in September to begin his studies at one of the world’s top universities.
Aaron attended senior primary school at St Henry’s Marist College in Durban. He always loved maths and was also a top chess player. His family attends Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Westville, Durban, where Aaron participated in LifeTeen.
In 2016 he began high school studies at Eden College in Durban where he excelled in the annual Maths Olympiads, travelling to Brazil in 2017 and to Bath, England, in 2019, representing South Africa. He also represented KwaZulu-Natal in the South African Junior Chess Championships for five years.
In his matric year, Aaron was undecided about what area to focus on at university, so his school principal arranged a meeting with the dean of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science at UKZN. Once Aaron learnt of Data Science, he knew that this was what he wanted to study, and he enrolled for a BSc degree.
In 2023, after graduating summa cum laude, he was awarded a scholarship as the best 3rd-year student and enrolled for an honours degree, also at UKZN.
He is both honoured and excited about moving to the UK to begin his master’s degree. His family is proud and supportive of this great honour. His father, Dr Sean Naidu, his mother, Dr Anoshini Moodley, and his brother Jaedon, who is now in his 3rd year at UKZN — also studying towards a BSc in Data Science — will miss Aaron but join in his joy and wish him a successful and exciting time in Oxford.
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