AFRICA | A young African Lady sponsored by poor grandmother fights to make her proud, graduates as a Software Engineer.
A young African lady named Luthando Mabaso, who was raised by her poor grandmother, has defied all odds to become a Software Engineer.
Luthando, from Durban, South Africa, shared that she was raised by her grandmother and aunt after losing her mother at the age of 7. She had no relationship with her father.
For many years, her grandmother was the sole breadwinner, working at a landscape company cutting grass to make ends meet. Despite the challenges, Luthando said they never went to bed hungry, but it was often difficult for her grandmother to provide school necessities.
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Luthando relied on hand-me-down uniforms and clothes. Growing up as an orphan, she realized that education was her only ticket out of poverty, and she knew she had to work hard to change her family’s future.
However, in secondary school, Luthando faced another challenge when she became pregnant. Many people discouraged her from continuing her education, and she began to doubt herself.
But a quote she came across, “To make no mistake is not in the power of man, but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.” gave her the motivation to work twice as hard.
Despite the odds, Luthando passed her matric exams and was admitted to Mangosuthu University of Technology. Her first year was difficult, as she had to catch the 4:45 a.m. train daily to attend classes while also caring for her child.
The exhaustion from her commute and responsibilities at home often left her struggling to stay awake during lectures. Nevertheless, Luthando persevered, passed her first year with distinctions, and eventually graduated with a diploma in Information Technology.
After graduation, she faced more negativity due to South Africa’s high unemployment rate, with people telling her that her degree had no job prospects. Undeterred, Luthando applied for a Software Engineering internship at The Academy of Accelerated Technology Education and was accepted.
She was placed at a world-renowned international bank for her internship, and the 12-month program became the breakthrough she needed, providing her with the skills and confidence to succeed.
Luthando’s determination and commitment paid off. She earned the professional designation ITCP(SA) as a Software Engineer and is now a registered member of the Institute of Chartered Information Technology Professionals (ICITP).
Currently, Luthando is permanently employed as a Software Engineer at Investec, the same organization where she started her internship.
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