Home! A place where you are supposed to feel safe, yet we find ourselves living in places that are not even safe to walk around. Growing up is not always easy, especially being the eldest to a single mother at the time, raising two kids by herself – working two jobs just to ensure that her family is provided for with the basic necessities. I was born in Cape Town, Mitchells Plain, a place where not many opportunities arise and where you take the good with the bad and be thankful for what you have.

So many young people dream of building a good life for themselves, with so many goals and dreams, but are incapable of achieving them due to the fear of failing or not having the financial security to realise their dreams. They limit themselves because they only see what is in front of them and think it ends there. I decided to not be that person – the person that limits herself, because the sky is the limit.

At the age of 17, I started off by washing hair for a living, thinking that was who I was destined to be, despite knowing that there was an entire world out there filled with opportunities. Low and behold an opportunity came knocking at my door one day whilst washing someone’s hair. Not only did I get the biggest tip, but my life changed in that moment. I was offered a job from one of my regular customers who happened to be the managing director of Afrikelp™ at the time.

I could hardly believe what he was saying – a 1000 questions were rushing through my head, is this a joke? Why me? Can it be? Is this the opportunity I have been waiting for? I was so stumped I could not even respond. Two weeks passed. I went for an interview and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was extremely nervous, but I was motivated that I could do anything I put my mind too. I GOT THE JOB!

I started off as a general worker, supporting all departments. In production I assisted with cutting sleeves, sleeving drums, and taking stock count, whereas for the research and development department I assisted the laboratory team with their tunnel and growing room trials, as well as conducting bioassays and harvesting various crops. This is where my interest began to learn more about how plants function. I also took on the receptionist functions from time to time. Learning from the different departments gave me a better understanding of how the company operates.

It was on 1st November 2019 when I was appointed to work in the quality control laboratory. I was given the important role of running the entire mung bean experiment from planting mung beans, conducting weighing experiments and recording the root count. All of these results are then interpreted to demonstrate how well our product stimulates the root growth in plants. Comparisons are also done with various other products and is conducted using a dilution series. I am also responsible for collecting important QC data which includes testing pH, conductivity, and TDS of each batch to ensure the quality of the final product is consistent before it leaves the company to our loyal customers around the world.

Every day I wake up looking forward to all the new things I will be learning at Afrikelp™. I have always been unsure about what I wanted to be one day but working at Afrikelp™ for the past 2.5 years – I am proud to say I found my passion. Working with the plants every day, making sure they are growing at the correct temperature, making sure the treatments they are in are always topped-up makes you form a bond with them. I see my plants as little babies, very delicate, that you constantly need to care for and through all this my passion and thirst for increasing my knowledge about plants has grown.

My road to further success keeps transpiring. Afrikelp™ has granted me an opportunity to pursue my dream in obtaining a degree in Plant Physiology. I am very excited and keen for what lies ahead. I know the road ahead may be long and not always easy as there will be obstacles and tests, but my motto is engraved in me: A winner never quits, and quitter never wins!

Looking back to where I come from, where I am currently and where I am heading, I can say with full confidence that my circumstances have made me who I am today. Your present situation does not determine your future. That said, I want to take this opportunity to encourage young people out there that are afraid to look beyond their current situation or circumstances – It does not matter where you come from, what matters is where you are heading!