Believe in yourselves, youth urged
AS SOUTH Africa prepares to celebrate Youth Day tomorrow, former University of KwaZulu-Natal BSc Chemistry and Chemical Technology student Amanda Ngqoleka has urged the youth to believe in themselves.
Ngqoleka, who grew up in Port Elizabeth, said she wants to raise awareness about the importance of self-motivation, and to encourage youngsters not to believe that the world owes them something.
Ngqoleka is proof that adversity can indeed translate to success. She lost her mother at a young age, attended four schools in the area, and lived with various family members after the death of her mother.
While at a very low point in her life, she said she found it very hard to believe in herself.
“I used to let other people define me, but not anymore. Now I want to be an example to other youngsters that you shouldn’t let your current situation determine your future.”
In Grade 10 her science teacher introduced her to the Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS) programme, and that changed the course of her life.
“When I was at school, those Engen Maths and Science Schools classes helped me improve my own marks, because I saw other children excelling, and that motivated me to do more.”
Ngqoleka, who currently works in the lubricants supply chain division in Durban, regained her confidence and managed to pass matric with flying colours at Ndyebo Senior Secondary. She was later selected to be part of the Engen Graduate Development Programme.
Ngqoleka said youngsters needed to take responsibility for their own futures, to seek out the opportunities available to them, and to work hard to see their dreams become a reality.
Speaking out to mark Youth Month, in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of self-motivation, she said: “Look at what happened to me. I had everything against me on paper, but then, in first year at varsity, I was named the top first-year student. That’s proof that anything is possible if you get serious about your future.
“At the end of the day, I want to be able to say that I’ve made a positive change in the community, that I am going to leave the world better off somehow,” she said.
Nokulunga Mjwara, an Engen talent dupply specialist, said Ngqoleka’s accomplishments after she matriculated and won an Engen bursary was exactly the kind of result Engen wanted to see from its interventions.
“She epitomises the quality of the young people we work with in the EMSS and graduate programmes around the country every year, and our ultimate reward is to help set them up to pursue stimulating careers that won’t only benefit them personally, but also the economy as a whole,” she said.
“We believe we have a responsibility to help young people realise their full potential, and we feel enormously privileged to have played a role in Ngqoleka’s impressive achievements.”
Anything is possible if you are serious about your future