Studying at both the University of Natal and the University of Durban Westville, Steil found South Africa very different from what he expected.
"I was expecting it to be a progressive haven, but found the legacy of apartheid a lot deeper than I'd ever imagined," Steil said. "There are a lot of challenges that I'd never understood before I got there."
Eben E. Kenah '00 also spoke passionately about his admiration of Mandela, intensified by his visit to South Africa as a writer for the Let's Go travel guide to South Africa.
"I would shoot my own leg off to have the chance to talk to him," Kenah said.
Kenah strongly urged fellow students to attend.
"In college we're never really expected to have a real correlation between our beliefs and the way we lead our lives," he said. "We talk about social issues, but very few people dedicate their lives to anything like that. Nelson Mandela deserves an honorary doctorate, but it is really we who are honored by being alive to witness the life of a man who ignited a fire in the minds of millions of people."
Riad Abrahams '99 echoed Kenah's desire to recognize Mandela's accomplishments and contributions to both South Africa and the world.
"I've visited Johannesburg twice and definitely have a more intense feeling because of it, but everyone in general should recognize what an amazing man he is and how deserving he is of this award," Abrahams said.
Mwangi, Steil, Kenah and Abrahams all remarked on the visible admiration South African natives have for Mandela, some-thing that became apparent during their visits.
"Being in the country, you get the idea of what he really means to them, to the country as a symbol," Mwangi said, adding that Mandela appears to "hold a country of disparate views together by sheer moral integrity."
Manisha S. Shetty '00, who plans to travel to South Africa next semester, applauded the University's decision to open the event to the entire student body.
"I'd like to hear him talk about anything...it's such a great opportunity for students to hear such a great historical figure speak," she said.
Both Shutte and Kenah recommended Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.
"The book makes him so much more human...it's amazing to watch him dedicate himself to the struggle," Shetty said.
Mandela's visit is also generating enthusiastic responses from students not personally familiar with South Africa.
"He has a sort of morally iconic status that can be associated with Martin Luther King, Jr.," Jody Peltason '01 said.
Vladimir B. Bystricky '00 hopes to hear Mandela speak about "what he expects for the future of race relations, both in South Africa and in our country, the United States-as he sees it."