Many ABE alumni have inspiring stories to share. One such person is photography entrepreneur, Selveena Parmanum, who successfully achieved her Level 6 Diploma and showed a huge passion for learning whilst having to overcome personal tragedy and hardship. Selveena's Aunty, Jeshree Cavaree, told us her story:
Selveena’s parents had a dream of seeing their daughter have a successful career. They have worked hard to enable her to have access to higher education and she had successfully completed I.T. and Human Resource Management before joining ABE . She also had several years of work experience in the administration field. After her training in the HR department at Hilton Mauritius Hotel and Spa, she joined a medical company where she was attached to the marketing department. Today, Selveena is running her own photography business with her father. Her secret for successfully running her own business today is her passion and enthusiasm for learning new things.
Selveena has been a brilliant student ever since her primary education. Her quest for learning continues. Being an inquisitive person, she wants to go further in her studies. Selveena was always passionate about the business and communication sector and completing her ABE Business Management course boosted her self-confidence in facing the world's challenges. Through her ABE course, she has developed a better understanding of the business aspect of this.
She now uses her key organisation skills to tackle work such as scheduling, time management and customer service and is solicited by the government, rotary clubs and social community centres amongst others for her photography work. This shows that along with the key knowledge and skills she learnt from her course, she is able to make her business survive in an ever-changing business environment. A little exposè of her success story was even published in a Mauritian newspaper called the Sunday Times.
Despite being an outstanding student, Selveena went through several hardships. When she started her ABE course, Selveena had to take over the photography business of her father because he had fallen ill. It was a difficult period for her as she had to juggle between the house responsibilities, managing her work and also her studies. In 2016, Selveena unfortunately lost her mum in a tragic way. This trauma really affected her health at the time. Since she was studying on a self-study basis, it demanded a lot of personal motivation from her side. Yet Selveena was determined to succeed. She worked very hard and she got through brilliantly despite the obstacles. In addition, regardless of her stresses and problems, Selveena was always on hand to help friends and family with their problems.
Successfully completing the Business Management course with ABE was a great achievement for her. Yet Selveena plans to go further in her studies. She would like to increase her knowledge and skills through a university Masters level degree. Her aim is to have her doctorate in business and to put into practice the knowledge and skills she has acquired in a leadership role in an organisation. Selveena's Aunty Jeshree tells us, "I feel Selveena deserves recognition because she has been a symbol of courage and determination. Although she faced lots of obstacles, she passed exams with good grades and achieved a Top Paper Award."
Selveena has also been an active member of ABE throughout her studies. She comments on many of ABE’s social media posts, has good relationship with several members of head office staff and frequently emails ideas and suggestions. As an example, she made a video where she gave an informative description of ABE. Another example is the International Women's Day, where she showed her support as a female student. Selveena is a dynamic student who is trying to support and promote learning. She is a also always ready to help people, such as other self study learners, who would come to her for advice.
She wants to be an example of how education is the passport for the future and also motivate other students worldwide. ABE says, “As an awarding body we do not always get to know learners directly, but Selveena’s passion and enthusiasm means she is known and liked by staff across the organisation."