S.E.T. for socio-economic growth
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Takatso would like to see a world where people are not judged by the shape of their upbringing but by the depth of their intellect.
I chose to study this course because I believe that if I was to have the necessary skills an engineer has, I would be able to advise many people in poor communities on how to build houses, roads and other things to maintain the infrastructure of the communities. I also believe I will be able to improve South Africa (SA) and the rest of the world with new and revolutionary machinery, which is essential for the improvement of our daily lives.
Everything I do is for my mother, and I have always wanted to build her a house designed especially for her. The late great Albert Einstein’s journey to success showed me that even if you come from a poor home, you could still make an impact on the whole world. The hardships that the people of my community are going through with dilapidated homes and destroyed roads, including how poor people are affected by poorly managed or incomplete tenders, all inspired me.
I believe that there are a lot of things in the world that should be changed, but the one thing that affects us most is discrimination. Adding on to a speech by Martin Luther King, I have a dream that all people of this world are not judged by the shape of their upbringing but by the depth of their intellect. I believe that I may be one of the young people who could demonstrate this and show the many people in the world that your past does not determine your future or the impact you would make in this world.
I completed my schooling at Tholulwazi Secondary School, located in Kameelrivier, Emthambothini, in the Mpumalanga province. The school was one of the most prestigious in the early 2010s, but lost its spark. It now lacks resources and is low in terms of finances, thus most of the recent learners have gotten low marks in matric. Even with its recent setbacks, the teachers have continued to devote themselves to teaching learners getting the school back to the top.
Physical sciences and maths are among the most challenging and important subjects in the world. I enjoyed doing these subjects because I like challenges, and I believe that it would help me to become a big problem solver and a better version of myself, and I knew that if I were to perform outstandingly in these subjects, I would open many doors to success.
Nowadays, people focus more on theory-related subjects and lack the necessary problem-solving skills that are essential for a learner to do well in these subjects. Some of these learners are pressured by their families to do subjects that they do not like. The advice that I would give to learners is that they should do science-related studies if they do want to, and that they should not only focus on subjects they can do, but also on those they cannot master, which are usually physical science and maths.
The tips I would give the learners in grade 11 and 12 is that they should not overthink or be pressured by their academic positions. They should rather enjoy the last years of their high school lives because too much studying usually leads to mishaps and mistakes in exams which they cannot afford to make as these are grades that determine their lives. They should try to balance their academic and social lives as it will help their brains to be at ease and accept any new academic information better.
The advice that I have for matriculants who must apply for higher education institutions is that they should apply as early as possible, because if they were to apply later, they would be distracted in their studies. If their grade 11 marks are not as good as they wanted, rather than applying with those marks, which may lead to them not getting accepted, they should wait and perform well in their grade 12 mid-year examinations and apply with those results.
Achievers should have qualities and abilities that lead to their success. They should have clear goals that drive and motivate them to do better with an aim of achieving their goals. They dedicate themselves to their work, and they are persistent and resilient. They are willing to learn or accept any new information which they did not know about. They are people who have self-discipline and do not look down on other people and are passionate about their pursuits to achieving their goals.
Most of the youth in SA look down on their family, mainly their parents, which is not a good thing. I honestly believe that what makes a person is their parents and we would be nothing without them. I advise the youth to acknowledge their parents’ efforts in their lives because they would not be here if it were not for their parents. Many people have lost their parents at a young age, and they do not usually have bright futures because of the lack of parental support.
I’d say they should continue persisting and being devoted to their work, and that eventually all their perseverance will be rewarded in the future. They should continue to give learners knowledge and guidance so that they can fulfil their dreams and, just like them, they could make an impact on this nation and possibly the entire world.
If I had one opportunity to speak directly to a very influential person, I would choose Elon Musk. I believe that if we were to discuss sustainable energy, environmental crises, space exploration, usage of machinery, and entrepreneurship, I would learn a lot as he has critical creative and innovative skills. He has revolutionised machinery as we know it, and I would gain a lot, especially since I am studying mechanical engineering and his experience in machinery and entrepreneurship would be helpful.
S.E.T. for socio-economic growth
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