Education
23
LeeConnect
Website
Lindelwa Mahlalela, 23, is the founder and CEO of LeeConnect which helps high school learners with university and college funding scheme applications and to get access to quality education. She has had a positive impact on the lives of many youths by giving them the information and resources they need to further their studies. She has assisted thousands of learners with CV writing and interview skills and has helped them to achieve great matric results. She was in the Africa’s Brightest Young Minds Top 200 and in the Gordon Institute of Business’s Science Festival of Ideas Top 10. Lindelwa, who has a diploma in sustainable development from Stellenbosch University, says she has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. “My mom and grandmother supported me throughout — I sold ice cream at 15 years old. That taught me people skills and money management.” Lindelwa says: “I would like South Africa to empower entrepreneurs and implement new strategies in the education sector, such as making resources and information more accessible. We are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution but there is a learner in KwaZulu-Natal who doesn’t know what an email address is. We need to believe in equality and work towards creating a country that empowers learners and teachers.” Her advice to young people is: “Try until you get it right. Don’t wait for the perfect time, create it. We tend to want to give up when things don’t go our way but trying until we get it right unleashes the potential that we have. There’s no such thing as a perfect moment, use what you have and where you are to chase your dreams.”
- Diploma in Sustainable Development
- Certificate in Information Technology
- Certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Business
- Motsepe Foundation Golden Circle Winner, Festival of Ideas Top 10
- Africa’s Brightest Young Minds Top 100
- 50 Most Memorable Women 2022
- Assisted over 5 000 learners to get access to quality education
I grew up writing poems to recite at school and that hobby has sparked my lifelong interest in public speaking. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and my mom and grandmother supported me throughout. I sold ice cream at 15 years old. That taught me people skills and money management.
I would say to my younger self: Try until you get it right. Don’t wait for the perfect time, create it. We tend to want to give up when things don’t go our way but trying until we get it right unleashes the potential that we have. There’s no such thing as a perfect moment, use what you have and where you are to chase your dreams.
I would like South Africa to empower entrepreneurs and implement new strategies in the education sector such as making resources and information more accessible. We are in the 4IR but there is a learner in KwaZulu-Natal who doesn’t know what an email address is. We need to believe in equality and work towards creating a country that empowers learners and teachers. Overall, I do not wish for peace, I pray for respect — even when a person doesn’t agree with someone, there should be respect for different perspectives. If we teach learners from a young age, we’ll be able to accept different races and cultures.