Distinguished young alumni, making a difference and paying it forward
“I believe there is a legacy in studying at Wits. To keep its memory burning bright, you need to give back.”
|BA 2016 (Social Work), MA 2018 (Development Studies), PhD Candidate 2021, School of Human and Community Development.|
Growing up and being different, Aldridge Munyoro faced prejudice and bullying. When he began his studies at Wits, he realised he could help others in order to build a better society. Working in the health equity field, he is now a champion in fighting the stigma around albinism. Aldridge is currently enrolled for a PhD at Wits in the field of disability and mentors younger students. He is currently a fellow at the Atlantic Fellowship for Health Equity, South Africa (Takano).
Aldridge grew up with stigma. His defining moment was when he came home from school one day and asked his mother for help to fend off the bullying. Tough love is what she gave him. “My mom decided to learn more about Albinism. So, when I got home from school that arvie, roughed up emotionally, she said, ‘You know, we are wasting resources here, there are a lot of children like you who need my help. You are living with an advocate; you should be able to fight for yourself. We should be helping other people out there.’ And so, I drew myself up and began to understand how people behave. When I matriculated, I applied to Wits for a BA course in Social Work, which has set me on my own advocacy path for people with my condition.”
Aldridge is making the transition from student to professional, studying for a PhD while mentoring younger students around him. “I started to work as a tutor in the academic space, giving people extra lessons and free tutorials and suddenly, boom, I'm a sought after mentor.”
Aldridge radiates modesty and is grateful for his Wits education, acknowledging how fortunate he has been to earn two degrees, with a doctorate on its way. He says Wits has given him the edge to make a real difference in his field, leading the way for effective advocacy. “I believe there is a legacy in studying at Wits. It’s going to take a lifetime to be worthy of this, but I believe that you make the university you want. I mean, people are always out there, you hear they are proud of it, but for the name to keep on burning for you, to keep on getting those benefits, you really need to give back."
“Navigating the university space gave me a huge confidence boost. Wits allowed me to explore other avenues of who I am.”
|BA 2016|
Nicole Davy is a superstar among youth looking for role models in the music industry. Singer, songwriter and activist, Nicole connects with her Cape Town roots and beyond. She is committed to helping those who follow in her footsteps; discovering their own truth and fulfilling their potential, no matter their perceived limitations. Nicole has a dream to change the world. And she is starting to achieve it, one hit song at a time.
Nicole was born in South Africa and spent her formative years in the Netherlands. This gave her a unique insight to her identity, both in and out of the land of her birth. She returned to South Africa in Grade 10, matriculated, and earned a place at Wits, graduating with a BA in 2016.
Since then, she’s burst onto the music scene, weaving her education and her talents together to become an activist and influencer. Her student experience has given her the confidence to explore who she is, develop her skills and goals, and make her mark in the local music industry.
Nicole is passionate about giving back, saying it creates a chain reaction, moving from generation to generation through the efforts of others. “I believe in being helped by those who came before me. Everyone deserves a chance at having further education after high school. I know that my Wits degree allowed me to experience and explore avenues of who I am as a creative person.
“Because I studied psychology at Wits, I also went on to do counselling after my degree. “People are able to confide in me,” she says. “Not just about the music industry, but someone they can talk to on a personal level.”
Nicole’s dream is to be able to create beautiful music, “that explains or speaks about who I am and where I’m from and my experience growing up in Cape Town as a woman of colour. To be able to express that and hope that people can understand and relate. There's so much beauty in that.”
Ultimately, Nicole would like to open a School of the Arts. “I'll choose to do it back home and be a space for kids to explore not just their craft, but a space to explore who they really are.”
“I just push myself as far as I can go because I’m determined to make a difference. It’s imperative that we support each other. Especially women.”
|BA 2018, BA Hons 2019, MA 2021, PhD Candidate|
Lucy Pearl Khofi is a committed advocate in the field of woman’s health. Her passion to address social inequality has dovetailed with her academic career. She has used her education in medical anthropology to found a non-profit organisation focussing on menstrual education, responding to the needs of women in her community. Lucy also founded Adopt a Student during the pandemic which helped many Witsies cope with the challenges of Covid-19 and is the founder and CEO of the Imfundo Enhle Education Trust.
Lucy graduated with a Masters in Medical Anthropology in early 2021 and is already using her knowledge for good. Lucy was always concerned about women’s health and has become a vocal activist in this field through an NPO she founded. “We unpack all the menstrual related or reproductive issues that nobody wants to talk about. We educate we uplift and empower people. I’ve discovered so many things that we don't really pay attention to and I felt it was important to go back to people and tell them about these things. We have activists in the street who don't have academic knowledge, so I empower them to understand the issues and act on them. It really does make a difference.
“I’m from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape,” she says. “If I go back home and start giving back, a lot of people will have the chance to be inspired, dream bigger and go further in their studies. In some of the rural high schools, kids don't even know what a degree is, so if you go back and pick up these things for them then they have options. It uplifts them. It uplifts the community. And it raises the bar for the entire country.”
Lucy never rests. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, she started an initiative that continues to this day: Adopt A Student mentors hundreds of Wits students during this difficult period. “We gave them that little bit of extra support. You know, you are learning from home and you feel alone. Assigning each student a mentor felt like the right thing to do.”
Lucy also has a new initiative, called Imfundo Enhle Education Trust launching in November, 2021. “I just push myself as far as I can go because I’m determined to make a difference. It’s imperative that we support each other. Especially women.”
“What’s really important to me is paying it forward. Your actions can change the course of someone’s life and help them to achieve their potential.”
|LLB 2013, LLM 2014|
Nelisile Thanjekwayo is committed to mentoring aspirant Witsies to act on their educational dreams. A qualified attorney who has entered the realm of big business, she makes time to instil hope and encourage achievement, realising that her rise from disadvantage to success is bigger than she is. Nelisile believes that she needs to take personal responsibility for her new-found privileges and give back where she can. Her many mentoring projects ensures that she does just that.
Nelisile Thanjekwayo has shattered the glass ceiling, making her mark in the boardroom. Her law degrees, obtained with the help of a slew of bursaries, have given her the education and grounding needed to succeed in the corporate world.
During her time with Shell Downstream South Africa, she was the global commercial lead counsel, giving legal advice and identifying risks and alternative business strategies. She is now Group Head of Legal and Compliance at Hans Merensky Holdings, bringing a fresh, new perspective to the position.
Coming from a disadvantaged background has instilled Nelisile with empathy and compassion for those following her on the road to success. She is the outgoing deputy chairperson of South Africa Day, a non-profit that provides social, financial and organisation support for marginalised communities, and she has guided the companies she works for into adopting more community-centric approaches to business.
“My dad used to say to me, ‘People often remember how you make them feel,’’’ she says. “So, when someone gives you a funding opportunity to pursue your studies, it's more than just about pursuing the qualification, it’s also affirming your dreams and aspirations. The feeling of someone believing in you, and acting on it, is often the encouragement you need to keep going even on days when things get tough. Just the thought of how many people have made it possible for you to be where you are is motivation to keep at it.”
Nelisile was awarded a Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Scholarship to pursue a Masters in International Law and Economics at the University of Bern, Switzerland. She recalls what her grandmother told her, being the first in her family to study abroad: ‘On the morning I was leaving for Switzerland, my grandmother said to me, ‘Uhambela nalaba abangeke bakwazi ukufika,’ which simply means, ‘You're going to see things for those who are not be able to see the world for themselves. You're going to experience things that others cannot experience for themselves.’ And in that very moment, I realised what my education and opportunities meant to my family, my community and to South Africa at large. You start to understand that it’s bigger than you.”
“Giving back through a small monthly donation helps the University grow and improve. I’m eternally grateful to be a Witsie.”
|BA (Archaeology) 2015; BSc Hons (Archaeology) 2016; MSc (Archaeology) 2018|
Kelita believes that all Witsies continue to be part of a global community of generous alumni that can support future generations of Witsies. Her own academic journey, made possible through scholarships and bursaries, has allowed her to pursue a PhD, specifically investigating the milestones in cultural and behavioural evolution that have led to the success of the human species. She would like to share her knowledge, experience and inspiration with the next generation.
“I don't have a beautiful story of growing up looking at rocks or wondering what fossils were like,” says Kelita Shadrach. “I had no idea about any of that. I accidentally took archaeology in first year and I thought it was about dinosaurs – turns out that's palaeontology! I remember my lecturer at the time saying, “If there's anyone in here who thinks this is about dinosaurs, I suggest you leave.” And no one left. So, I stayed, and I've stayed for 11 years now. And I started realising I was actually waking up every day excited for something, knowing you're going to learn about new people or a new place, a new religion or a new culture. Just everything that you take as being normal has the most intricate history. I think at the end of the day, if something makes me excited, I'm going to do it.”
Kelita is currently studying towards a PhD specialising in behavioural and cognitive evolution. As recipient of the Wenner-Gren PhD Fellowship, given only to one African PhD student each year, she has been given the impetus to complete her PhD and make her parents proud. Kelita has also been awarded a slew of scholarships and bursaries.
Kelita feels strongly about paying it forward and acts as a mentor for aspirant archaeologists as the secretary of the Southern African Archaeological Student Council. “We conduct workshops on different topics in archaeology by specialists. Students have the chance to engage in multiple activities and tours of different sites that they may in their normal day-to-day studies never get exposure to. So we really do cover everything, financially as well, to ensure that regardless of your socio-economic background, you're able to participate.”
Without Wits, Kelita believes that she would not have been able to reach her full potential.
“Wits gives you the experience and the exposure to hold your own in the world outside of your home, outside of your identity,” she says. “Knowledge isn't something that ends once you leave university; it's always there; but getting access to it through a university experience; that's truly life-changing. It is an amazing opportunity to find your purpose and change your mind about your place in the world. I cannot imagine a version of myself without having been at Wits. I'm so grateful for my Wits experience and education.”