South African Students Tour U.S. for Business, Cultural Experiences

From left: Amanda Holloway (intern), Jermaine Swartz, Gabriella Du Plessis, Rakgadi Magopa, Xolile Ndhlovu, Sibonelesihle Shabalala and Young Lives Foundation executive director Barbara Howard. (photo: Victor Kakulu, baystatebanner.com)

The following article is from BayStateBanner.com.

Five South African college students traveling across the U.S. in search of a global perspective on business, education and culture made a three-day stop in Boston last week. They called their maiden trip to the Hub [Boston] an eye-opening experience.

The students were selected to take part in the 19-day, nine-city "Expose, Enlighten & Educate Experience" tour by the nonprofit Impact Young Lives Foundation.

Speaking with the Banner on the second day of a three-day stay that included visits to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, Converse, Old Mutual Bank and Harvard Business School, the youth emphasized the importance of experiencing American culture firsthand.

"I've lived in South Africa all my life," said 18-year-old Rakgadi Magopa. "All we know of America is what we see on TV and read in newspapers. And I've always wondered, ‘Is it really that?'"

While Magopa said that certain things she had heard about the U.S. - such as the availability of and accessibility to resources like the Internet - were true, the students said they were happy to learn that some others were actually incorrect.

"I sort of assumed that Americans don't have to work as hard," said 20-year-old Sibonelesihle Shabalala. "But on the contrary to that, Americans actually have a very robust business ethic. They work very hard and push very hard to reap the reward."

The students said they felt optimistic about the opportunity before them to make an impact both at home and abroad, citing the "American Dream" as a source of inspiration. They were proud to see fellow native South Africans holding down senior executive capacities of various businesses, and were impressed at the humanitarian initiatives that many companies had developed to benefit various parts of Africa. Such aid programs, particularly those that augment educational opportunities, can make a major difference.

"Access to education is definitely one of the challenges we have back home," stressed Shabalala. "There is a wider gap between those who have and those who do not."

The Impact Young Lives Foundation works to address that gap. Created in 2000, the organization aims to provide previously-disadvantaged South African students with a cross-cultural experience that includes educational assistance, cultural exposure and mentorship from a strong network of business professionals.

Executive director Barbara Howard said she believes the foundation provides key support to the individuals that will chart South Africa's future.

"Our goal is to create global-minded citizens through educational and cross-cultural opportunities," said Howard. "We hope to provide the students with the balance that is so necessary for South Africa to thrive. We believe in that balance."

Each year, the foundation teams up with partner organizations in South Africa to hold an essay contest, in which students are asked to identify why they wish to be IYL Foundation Scholars. Selected students receive a $1,000 scholarship and participate in the "Expose, Enlighten and Educate Experience," a three-week trip to major U.S. cities, where they meet with professionals in business, technology, government, education, science and media.

The program's goal is to give the students access to insights and ideas that they can take back and possibly implement in South Africa.

Gabriella Du Plessis, 19, said the opportunity has opened many doors for her.

"This trip is teaching us to be open, as opposed to closed- or narrow-minded, to what we can achieve, both in South Africa as well as internationally," Du Plessis said between sips of coffee.

Boston marked the halfway point in the students' trip, and Du Plessis ranked the Hub [Boston] as the best of the cities they had visited due to the city's unique speed of life.

"To me, the balance between the fast-paced life and business life is good - not too fast, but not too rigid or slow," she said.

Asked about personal goals for the future, 19-year-old Jermaine Swartz said he hoped to put every aspect of the journey to use.

"One thing we've learned is that learning itself is a lifelong thing," said Swartz, whose meeting with Old Mutual sparked aspirations of starting an investment firm. "This experience is providing us with lessons we have yet to tap into, but indeed, we will."

Xolile Ndhlovu, 20, believes opportunities like the "Expose, Enlighten & Educate Experience" should be available to all students. She said she would like to engage in social work to extend such chances to more South Africans as well as children in Swaziland, Rwanda, America and Australia.

The students said they have grown quite close during their travels, speaking in a jovial yet serious fashion about the possibility of working together to create a business venture that addresses each of their individual needs and ambitions.

Of the trip's many lessons, they cited the importance of hard work as a theme that has reoccurred in each of the cities they've visited.

"You must go through something to get to something else," said Swartz. "Eventually, hard work does indeed pay off."

Source: BayStateBanner.com

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