My name is Naledi Mokgautsi, and I am from Orange Farm, a marginalised community outside Johannesburg, South Africa. I believe in progress and have made it my goal to continually progress in all aspects of life. I was born on April 26th, 2000, in Lenasia South. As a child, I was very timid and imaginative. I am the youngest of seven in a big family with four siblings and my parents. I started school at Laus Deo Primary School in 2005 and continued my studies at Seipone Primary School until I passed grade 7.
I attended Thamsanga High School and later switched to Morris Isaacson High School in Soweto where I completed my matric. For tertiary education, I studied BA in Development Studies at the University of Johannesburg. This multi-disciplinary course is characterised by normative and policy concerns about inclusive and sustainable development.
I have volunteered in spaces that have built me and enabled me to give back to the community with the aim of creating significant positive impacts in people’s lives. I also volunteered at Love Life Youth Centre and later became a peer educator in computer science, where I facilitated sessions and assisted people in enrolling and completing coding courses. After that, I volunteered as a Researcher for Vuselela Media in collaboration with UNICEF and other organizations for mental health research.
My accomplishments include raising awareness for mental health on a wider scale, mini-documentaries posted on YouTube via Waded FM, and working with the Children’s Radio Foundation and Moutse Community Radio from Limpopo. Apart from completing my studies and getting my degree, my interests include reading self-development books, baking, drawing and taking care of kids, networking and meeting with like-minded people, debating, and writing. Other activities I enjoy doing are hiking, picnic dates, trying new restaurants, and ice skating.
My values are centred around growth, progress, happiness, and simply having a peaceful life where I can live my life to the fullest. I don’t want to have a comfortable life. I enjoy challenges and the thrill that comes with solving them. It’s what makes life exciting and worth living for me. I believe everything is achievable when you set your mind to it. One of my core values, above all, is authenticity. Loyalty, mindfulness, morals, and diversity are some of my many other values that are endless.
I would describe myself as a very reserved, reliable, and grounded person. I am a lover of learning new things, and knowledge is my power as we live in a world full of knowledge. I’m a dedicated individual who is obsessed with growth and self-improvement. I am humble and able to get along with people. I also like to think I am kind as I am considerate and able to put myself in another person’s shoes to understand their situation or perspective better.
I am currently running my dessert shop from home. I am a baker and love trying new recipes. I am also a She Evolves 1000Stories 100 000Trees ChangeMaker and recently, I had the opportunity to plant 20 trees at my former community’s primary school, Laus Deo Primary. It was a heartwarming experience to give back to the place that played an important role in my formative years. I believe that small initiatives like these can go a long way in creating a better world for ourselves and future generations.
My long-term goals are to run a successful bakery that is also a bookstore and do what I love every day. I also aspire to be a community leader and implement more initiatives that would potentially solve societal problems – bits by bits. I would also like to travel the world and experience new cultures to broaden my perspective on life in general. My short-term goals are to reach a wider audience in my business and venture into competitive business spaces. Another goal is to get a job as an intern or a teacher abroad and build my skills in public interactive environments.
I’m a dynamite; I come in a small package but can make a big impact. I believe in myself and others so much. My favourite quote is from my favourite song by Jhene Aiko- W.A.Y.S “You gotta keep going”. It keeps me going because why would you stop in hell?
Instagram: Ledi_rea
Tiktok: Ledi_rea
LinkedIn: Reanetse Mokgautsi
