Maanda Okundaho Phidane

Maanda Okundaho Phidane

Student, Department of Computer Science
University of Cape Town · Cape Town, South Africa

About

I am a Student majoring in Computer Science and AI at the University of Cape Town. My interests lie in Cybersecurity,machine learning and statistics.

Currently, I'm prioritizing my academics and various duties, but when I'm free, I'm either participating in hackathons, CTFs, building a project or pursuing a certification.

Education

B.Sc. Computer Science and AI, University of Cape Town,

2025-Present

Certifications

TryHackMe: Pre Security

Pre Security

TryHackMe: Cyber Security 101

Cyber Security 101

Cisco Networking Academy: Introduction to Cybersecurity

MathWorks: Machine Learning Essentials

Projects

African Fiscal Health Analysis
  • Conducted a comprehensive data analysis project to examine budget deficits and surpluses across 14 African countries from 1960 to 2025 for the 2025 10Alytics Hackathon
  • Utilised: Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, Seaborn, SciPy, Openpyxl
Writing Score Predictor
  • Developed a machine learning tool to predict a student's writing score based on demographic and academic factors such as math score, reading proficiency, and parental education level.
  • Utilised: MATLAB
Simple Calculator
  • Built a functional calculator application with a graphical user interface.
  • Utilised: Tkinter
Portfolio Website
  • Designed and deployed a personal portfolio website
  • Inspiration: Jan Buy's Portfolio
  • Utilised: HTML, CSS,Netlify

Leadership & Experience

Class Representative

Computer Science Department

· CSC1016S (June 2025- November 2025) · CSC2001F February 2026-June 2026 · CSC2004Z February 2026-Present
  • Facilitated effective communication between students and the lecturer for courses including CSC1016S (2025), CSC2001F (2026), and CSC2004Z (2026).
  • Proactively managed and addressed class concerns, fostering a positive learning environment.

Club and Society Positions<

Subcommittee

Science Student's Council Events Subcommittee member (March 2026-Present).

Collaborate with a team to execute events, ensuring smooth operations.

Society Events Subcommittee member (March 2026-Present)

Collaborate with a team to execute events, contributing to the society's mission of advancing AI knowledge.

UCT Venda Society Media Subcommittee graphic designer (March 2026-Present)

Create visual media and graphics to promote the society and its events, enhancing member engagement.

Tech Stack

Programming languages

  • Python
  • Java
  • CSS
  • R Programming
  • Bash
  • MATLAB
  • HTML

Libraries

  • pytorch
  • Numpy
  • Matplotlib
  • Tkinter
  • Pandas
  • Seaborn
  • SciPy
  • Openpyxl