DJ bags postgraduate diploma!

PODCASTER and DJ Hazel Mahazard needed a change, and she sought it out.

The entertainer, whose real name is Hazel Kotu, returned to university to pursue her postgraduate diploma in business administration at Wits Business School.

She spoke to Daily Sun about her decision to return to varsity.

"It was an intense block programme where I'd attend class for 10 or 11 days per quarter and during those days, I covered three to four modules, including class time, individual and group assignments, and an exam per module.

"This was by far the hardest thing I've embarked on. It challenged me emotionally and I wanted to talk myself out of quitting so many times. Business law, project management, strategy, management finance and accounting really showed me flames," she said.

Mahazard said she felt like she needed a change.

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"I realised that I had grown complacent in my everyday life. I needed something outside entertainment to inspire and challenge me to grow. I needed to empower myself, and as a person, I've always believed in the power of education to change any situation. School was the obvious answer, especially with my business aspirations. It's beneficial for Bakoe Entertainment to be led by an educated person.

"The modules I learnt at varsity, as well as the network that I've built, have been a great help in this regard, hence the course of choice," she said.

The musician plans to use her qualification to her advantage.

"I'm leaning towards growing Bakoe Entertainment into a fully-fledged company with operating facilities, assets, and staff members. Although it's on a very small scale, I'm well on my way to making that a reality. Business support, marketing, and funds are currently my biggest setbacks," she said.

She's working on new projects for 2025.

"Hazel Mahazard and Bakoe Entertainment are interlinked; one can't exist without the other. As an entertainer, I'll be pushing my love of deejaying. Catch me outside if you can keep up, and I'm releasing music.

"As far as the company is concerned, I'm working on content. Part of my plans while I was away was strategy. I'm building an online media channel that speaks to the entertainment needs of different people," she said.

She said she wants to get a PhD before she's 40.

"I missed the admission deadline for the 2025 academic year, but I also need the break. If all goes well, I'll be in the 2026 programme for my MBA. Once I complete that, I'll push for a PhD before I turn 40, and there's eight years left," she said.