Health Science Reviews

By Samukelisiwe Ndimande

During my undergraduate years, if someone had told me that I would be working in a field focused on human health and immunity, I might have laughed politely. Back then, I was deeply in love and focused in Botany and Microbiology, drawn to how plants grow, microbe’s interaction, and how life works at the microscopic level. I was more invested in the natural world but as time went by, came a deeper calling, one shaped by global pandemics, health imbalance and inequality, and my own growing curiosity about how diseases hijack that balance in the human body. This sparked a new interest which resulted into a shift and I found myself diving into Honours in Infectious Diseases and Immunology this year.

At first, I felt like an outsider in a new language, getting to realize that immunology is not just complex but it tells a story. It has been a demanding and hard year but, academic life experiences were eye-opening. The Honours programme is compact yet intense spanning just a year. Every month is a sprint, trying to catch up time that is not on our side, covering everything from background or foundation knowledge about diseases to hypersensitivity mechanisms, vaccine strategies, bacterial pathogenesis, host immune responses, and drug resistance. Each topic is the foundation f the next one, with layered complexity that often leaves your head spinning. It requires long hours in labs and information prior to performing the experiment, intense focus during research projects, and this happens while you still have to find a way of balancing your module studies, tests, presentations, and trying to stay one step ahead. It has been tough, but it has also been transformative.

There was once a time where I questioned myself if I belonged here. Shifting from Botany and Microbiology to human Immunology was not easy. The terminologies were different and you have to familiarize yourself with the new medical vocabulary. The stakes felt higher, I was worried and anxious that I might not catch up, that my background was not clinical enough, but every obstacle served as a reminder of why I made this leap of which is to be part of something that has a direct impact on human lives and slowly, with persistence and support, I found my footing and gear. I began to trust the skills I had developed over the years which involves analytical thinking, curiosity, and patience. I did not just learn facts, I learned to ask sharper questions. I realized that science is a web of interactions just like the plant-microbe networks I once studied, now translated into hostpathogen studies. My background in Microbiology gave me the foundation and Botany gave me patience. I realized the impact we have in controlling the evolving pathogens, how host immunity can both save and be destructive, and how much the social context matters. During course work, I did not just see diseases, I saw people: the immunocompromised, the vulnerable and the ones behind the statistics.

Looking beyond this academic year, I feel enthusiastic and motivated. I want to further my studies into a Master’s degree, where I can continue developing my research skills and make an impact begin to the kind of work that shapes public health and strengthens our response to diseases. Whether in the lab or in a community, I want to be part of something bigger than myself, something that speaks to both science and humanity. As I move forward, I carry all those roots with me because whether it is a plant leaf or a human immunity, understanding life at its smallest scales will always be my way of protecting it at its largest. I now walk with eager to fight diseases, improve lives, and that for me, is growth in its truest form

~Samukelisiwe, 2025