“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die for having left undone.” - Pablo Picasso

These words hold new meaning for me. I believe in living each day as if it were your last, because it just might be. This is just a short blog to remind us to live today and enjoy the moment.

A few days ago I was in an accident that potentially could have claimed my life. Miraculously I walked away with no serious injuries. Reflecting on the accident made me realise how short and unpredictable life really is. I often felt that because I am still young, I still had time; time to fool around and enjoy being a student and being irresponsible. But through this accident I realised how wrong I am. Time is such a precious commodity that should not be taken for granted, because regardless of how young you are, time is never on your side.

As young people, we often set our sights on the future, planning and creating a vision for ourselves. This is all wonderful, but I want to emphasise a lesson I learnt the hard way; that life is about TODAY. We shouldn’t think or plan so far ahead of ourselves that we forget we are alive today and to live in the moment, right now. It’s easy to lose sight of who we are when we focus too hard on the future. We can easily neglect ourselves in this way and forget to enjoy life where we are right now. Each day is a gift and we should make the best of it, we don’t call it the “Present” for nothing.

Being a part of SAWIP and having gone through 95% of the curriculum, one has to look back and wonder; how did it all go by so quickly? Being around the phenomenal people that are my team mates and friends I feel abundantly blessed. Thinking back to all the people we met and relationships that were forged I count myself amongst the most fortunate in the world.

I am sure every one of us on the team recognises and appreciates this privilege. As we are moving towards graduation and look back on this journey, I am equally sure we are thinking of the next step, the next challenge that lies ahead. As individuals all of us will have a different answer to this and even though I don’t know what those answer are, I would like to draw a common thread through all of them; we must live up to the hope, faith, trust and expectations that have been placed upon us. Regardless what our endeavours may be, I believe our purpose through all this is to live above the norm, to lead and not follow, to conquer our inherent need to blend in so that we may stand out and shine. I remember being in school and hearing these words from a motivational speaker; "Don’t live to be ordinary. Strive to be extraordinary.”

I want to appeal to my team mates to keep these words close to heart, to keep the flame alive. We have an inherent need to feel like we belong and blend in, but there is yet another more pressing need we are less aware of, the need to let our light shine and be authentic. I believe SAWIP has been instrumental in awakening us to this truth about ourselves. Yes, we may have been aware of this before SAWIP, but through SAWIP we have been set alight to this greatness we poses. We have not only been inspired and enlightened but also empowered. I believe we have to use this empowerment to rise above the limits of our society, and not live under dogma, but to challenge the status quo and plot a new course for our country, starting with ourselves.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Shannon Lambrechts and I am a proud South African citizen and Member of the SAWIP Class of 2012. First of all let me thank each and every one of you present tonight for sending us off at this wonderful farewell.

Allow me to share a little about my past with you. I was born and raised in poverty, into a family and circumstances of drugs and gangsterism. I never saw myself being anything other than a gangster or garbage man. A gangster because that was the highest standard set in the area I lived in, and a garbage man because of a cheerful uncle of mine who worked on the garbage truck all his life and would bring home food, gifts and the latest gadgets. When asked where he got them, he always said “at work” and I said: “Wow! I want to do what you do.” At that point working on a garbage truck seemed like a very illustrious career. Me and my friends would even volunteer and help clean up trash in the hopes of making it in this sought-after career.

In my family, my father is the breadwinner and my mother is unemployable due to a mental disorder that makes it hard for her to concentrate. Poverty entered our home through my father’s drug and alcohol abuse habits. When I think of my father I can only picture him in a state under the influence of drugs or alcohol, for that is how I saw him most of my childhood. I have an older brother who bravely tried to finish high school, but was unable to get past the 11^th grade. He was told to quit school and find a job. He has been unemployed for the last five years and also lives under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

My dreams of becoming a garbage man were shattered when my family moved out of our incredibly dangerous area to a place that was mildly better called Kuils River. In my early school days I still had the mentality of the environment I grew up in. So naturally I resented education for it did not fit into the life I saw for myself. I spent the early years of high school being somewhat of a rebel. My schooling became increasingly difficult during the last few years and no one expected us to make it through the 12^th grade. This was primarily due to the lack of teachers at our school. But here is where my life would change forever. I decided to become my own teacher and took it upon myself to do whatever it took to make it into University. This is where my mind-set shifted and I set my eyes on becoming a scientist. As for my classmates, we made it with a 97% pass rate and most of us managed to find jobs or get into college.

Six years later and here I stand, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the end of this year. It was quite difficult for my parents to understand why their ambitious little garbage man had pursued a career in such a “strange” field. I had been told all my life I would never achieve much, that I was branded to become a labourer working for minimum wage stuck in a dead-end job. Well, I would like to hear what those critics have to say now.

I told myself that if I am going to break the circle of poverty, I am going to set the bar high, so that those after me may know what is possible for them. Therefore I have set out to attain nothing less than a Ph.D. in my field of study, Microbiology or Biotechnology, so that my family will never be looked down upon again.

My SAWIP experience has been indescribably amazing. I have grown immensely on this program and will continue to do so long after we are done with the curriculum. During my time in DC I had the pleasure of living with the most fun, generous, and incredible family, Tom, Carol and Max Wheeler. Thank you for not just opening your home, but your heart to me. I truly enjoyed every moment with you. I would also like to acknowledge Sharon Watkins from N Street Village where I completed my work exposure. Thank you Sharon for all you have taught me and for a great opportunity at N Street. And thank you to SAWIP. All of the board members, team management and especially Kim and Claire for making this a memorable experience.

I believe this to be a turning point in my life. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the way I was. If I had not embarked on this phenomenal SAWIP journey I fear I would have completed my studies and eventually shipped myself off to Europe or the USA with my Ph.D. as so many have done before, because of the threat of being over-qualified. But I am now more motivated than ever before to complete my studies and stay in South Africa to put my education to use and to inspire and work with other young people. SAWIP has returned to me a long gone pride in South-Africa and renewed sense of responsibility for my country and people.

In closing, when we speak about SAWIP and investing in South Africa’s youth, it is often mistakenly assumed that this investment is limited to the individuals on each SAWIP team. What I have come to learn is that investment in a SAWIP student is an investment in a nation. We come from diverse backgrounds and thus when we’re supported, it is not just an investment in one individual, but an investment in the impact each of us will have on communities throughout South-Africa. How will we measure the returns on this investment? It will not be in our own individual accomplishments, it will not be how much money we will one day earn, but it will be in the eyes and spirit of a generation that has found hope and faith in their country like I have. It will be in the hearts and minds of our youth, who will take South Africa to heights it is capable of.

Thank you all for making this investment. Thank you for believing in us and helping us to believe in ourselves and our country. Thank you.

Recently the SAWIP team had a discussion on Immigration and human rights. What was indeed a heated and intriguing discussion, one concept stuck to my mind and hasn’t left me alone since.

Being a science student and having very limited knowledge about anything else, I found this dialogue to be quite informative. From speaking to the history of immigration into the United States by Mexicans, statelessness of refugees and Immigration into South-Africa, we flared at one another over moral and legal issues. This argument between what is legal and what is moral dominated the conversation. It seemed that we all want to do the right and moral thing, but we are constrained by the law, particularly laws governing each country or state around the world. These laws make it difficult to find common ground. How can the world try and find common solution to this pressing concern when every country is grounded by a different set of laws, despite the fact that we all believe ourselves to be grounded by a common set of morals? This seems to be where the controversy comes in, we struggle to decide whether to govern by law or morals so we try and make certain morals our laws/rights (South-Africa’s constitutions for example). Yet living by these moral set of laws is a constant problem when we face an uncomfortable and uncertain situation like immigration.

Upon learning about the complexity and controversy of this issue, I couldn’t help but jump in and ask; “Has anyone ever considered the diverse and often critical skill-set immigrants bring to a particular country?” Looking specifically at a developing country such as South-Africa, who is in dire need of practical skills to uplift its economic status. The consensus was that government hasn’t looked into this, in fact I don’t think government has ever considered this. I truly believe this could potentially be a great solution and reconciliation mechanism toward overcoming xenophobia, if government looks at it from this angle. My observation with immigrants around South-Africa has been this; they are incredibly skilled both practically and entrepreneurially. It is precisely for this that many South-Africans loath immigrants, because they are empowered and use their skills to make a living. I reckon we as South-Africans seek empowerment and feel entitled toward it, so when we see a non-South-African having the skills and opportunities we feel belongs to us, it breads despair building up to xenophobia. In fact, xenophobia in essence is not just the fear of foreigners, but the fear of being replaced by foreigners. The fear that our livelihood is being hijacked by people that are so called “not one of us”. In this regard we see the bellowing violence on foreigners spread across our nation, in a desperate attempt to get rid of foreigners before they “take over”.

I feel this could all be avoided if there was a platform or institution that can be constructed in such a way that immigrants wanting to come to South-Africa, can simultaneously be employed and deployed to share their expertise with our nation. In doing so, create a balance whereby foreigners do not take jobs that “belong” to South-African citizens, but that they be treated as teachers to educate and empower our people, especially our youth, that will be skilled enough to claim what “belongs” to them. I realise this is a much heated and complex issue, but I know if worked on it with diligence, persistence and dedication, and in collaboration with government, small businesses and the people, this is possible. Xenophobia can be eradicated, if people could be shown the potential benefit foreigners bring to our beautiful country.

Five years ago I set upon a mission to attain a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Stellenbosch, and I finally did it. After viewing my semester marks and passing everything, I realised that I completed all my modules and credits needed to obtain my degree and all I need to do is pitch up at graduation at the end of this year. After realising this, an overwhelming wave of emotion swept over me and I just wept.

It has been no easy task. I started my first year coming from a disadvantaged school, entering one of the most prestigious Universities in the country. I was in way over my head, with standards so high that I failed most of my modules in my first year. Here I felt the pressing need to give up and join the rest of my family in a dead end jobs working for minimum wage. However, I did not give up, due to divine intervention I was able to still make it into second year, but lost my residency on campus. I set out to stay elsewhere, anywhere but home, because I knew I would not be able to make it through university in the negative circumstance at home.

I redeemed myself in my second year by passing everything, but failed again in my third year. Failure seemed to wait for me around every corner and I couldn’t understand why. I eventually was tempted to quit again, but I met a mentor who changed my life. The Dean of our faculty of Science taught me something so profound it changed my outlook on life. He said to me that he has failed in so many things in life, that he learnt to make failure his friend, and I should do so too. I was confused by this, but the Dean explained to me the soundness of his advice. He graciously sat down with me and explained that success in anything, teachers you nothing, it just affirms your ability to do something. But when you fail, you always find a lesson behind it and become a better person. I took every single word to heart and made failure my best friend. After doing so, I never saw myself failing anything again. I took every negative and turned into a positive.

Even though I graduate two years after all my peers and friends, I don’t see myself as being two years behind. I've always believed everything happens for a reason and being a part of SAWIP made the reason for my academic journey crystal clear to me. I thought attaining my degree would be the end of my journey, because that’s all I ever wanted to do, I just wanted to break the stigma and prove that it’s possible, and I did.

Now I realise it’s only just the beginning. Getting my degree is the gateway to all the awesome things that is about to follow. I realise that I’m going back to South-Africa more aware of the world and more equipped to make a difference. But I also feel obliged to go back and study outside of my field to understand the world better, disciplines like the economy, law, philosophy, etc. I know now that I should further educate myself to a level which I can have a global perspective and impact. This is the next check point for me on this journey.

One of the toughest challenges that I faced growing up has been centered around the concept of identity. Never was I sat down with my parents and told this is who your grandma and granddad were and this is what they did. I hardly know my grandparents and their parents or the life they lived. I hardly know what traits (good or bad) I inherited from them. Subsequently I had a problem in one of my grade 7 history classes when we did heritage, because I simply did not know where I come from.

There is such a common stereotype and tendency within the culture I am born into. It centres on the fact that we are the divide of the nation, because we do not have a single racial heritage as our great grandparents, grandparents and sometimes parents are black, white or Indian and we are a mix of those. It goes further to classify us as either first or second generation “coloured” people. Recently, I found out that my maternal grandfather is German. However, I never heard this because my mother never knew her father until much later in her life. It is rare and more difficult to find strong roots for identity when one does not have any record of who one’s grandparents and great grandparents were.

There is yet another more alarming trend in today’s society. Children are growing up in an ever growing fatherless home and fatherless society. Over the past decade there has been a spike in teenage pregnancies and an ever growing disappearance of fathers, primarily due to their unwillingness to carry out the consequences of their actions. This is alarming because 10-20 years down the line; one won’t just have any record of one’s great grandparents, but no record of one’s father as well. This leaves a huge gap in one’s heritage. I fear this disappearance of fathers in today’s society may lead to more probing questions around identity for the future of our country.

There seems to be a generational pattern of erosion of identity and moral responsibility in today’s society. Which probes the question, where would one then find one’s identity? From struggling to place oneself in one or the other race to having no record of a father, certainly eradicates one’s identity?

I recently had the pleasure, along with my fellow team mates, of visiting Drakenstein Palliative Hospice (DPH) day care centre called Butterfly House near Paarl. This phenomenal day care centre is run by Elizabeth Scrimgeour, a great friend of SAWIP. Upon arriving at the Hospice we were pleasantly surprised by an organised march involving the children, staff and youth of Butterfly House. Instead of sitting down in a dialogue or presentation like so many of our activities, we got our hands dirty and took part in an exciting and joyful march around the community to celebrate the 21^st anniversary of the DPH and the contributions it has made to the upliftment of society. Walking through the streets of this impoverished community, I noticed a lot of things, one of which was seeing shacks and brick houses in the same street, opposite one another. During a discussion later that afternoon Elizabeth told us that the entire community was solely informal and only recently have decent houses been built. I found it fascinating watching the children play and sing and being so care-free. With the majority of them living in dysfunctional homes, one would never have guessed this simply because of their joy and the wonderful talent that they have. These kids certainly made me reflect on my childhood and I saw myself in many of them.

What isn’t obvious about Butterfly House is the impact it is having on the identity of these children. I recently stressed this; that if you really want to help somebody living in poverty, to make a success of their life, you have to take them out of that environment and constantly expose them to something better...to hope. In other words, make hope almost tangible through constant exposure to inspirational and uplifting people and activities. This hope then shapes the minds of these children and subsequently their identity and where they see themselves in society and the future.

Through the various activities and amazing people working at the Butterfly House, these young children are finding a new identity. They are finding a more worthwhile sense in Ubuntu (I am because you are) and Ubuntu is becoming ever more positive in the lives of these youngsters.

If one cannot find identity in one’s heritage or past then there is still hope, because there is identity in one’s future, dreams and vision. I was able to find identity in my family and heritage, but it was not the identity I wanted to have, because the only identity I saw was being poor and inferior. However, through hope I created a new identity, I found identity in the man I must become, in the leader I am meant to be. I strongly believe it is this identity that needs to be instilled in the hearts and minds of our society. We are all aware of our South African history and heritage, but we should no longer look back and establish for ourselves who we are, rather look ahead and ask who must I become? In this way our children and their offspring may find this new identity that we are shaping right now. This I believe is our legacy.

“Hope has wings. Butterfly wings” – Butterfly House