The second day of the UNIZULU Engineering Week was dedicated to celebrating and empowering women in engineering.
The event was a vibrant gathering of female students eager to hear from two distinguished guest speakers: Lebo Phahla, Asset Management Lead Engineer at Rio Tinto and Kehinde Awodele, a lecturer in UNIZULU’s electrical engineering academic programme.
Akhona Phakathi, a second-year electrical engineering student, was the director for the day.
The day began with an inspiring keynote address by Phahla, who shared her journey from a young girl with a passion for solving problems to becoming a leading figure in the engineering world. She underscored the importance of perseverance, mentorship, and the need for more women to enter and thrive in engineering fields.
Phahla’s speech was filled with personal anecdotes and practical advice. She spoke about the challenges she faced and how she overcame them, encouraging the audience to pursue their dreams despite any obstacles.
Her message was clear: “Do not come to the industry and want special treatment, because you are an employee. You are there to solve the problem that has been surrounding a male dominated industry, so you are going there to be a part of them,” said Lebo.
The world needs more women engineers, she added.
Following Phahla’s keynote, Kehinde joined the conversation and highlighted the importance of innovation, confidence and adaptability in engineering careers.
“There are people, mentors who can contribute to building the confidence you need to tomorrow stand for yourself in the industry,” Kehinde shared.
She also delved on other related topics including gender equality in the workplace and the role of education in empowering women. The discussion was interactive, with students asking questions and sharing their own experiences.
As the sun set over the Richards Bay Campus, the attendees departed with some pearls of wisdom. The onus was thus on them whether they would use the knowledge shared to make a difference in the world of engineering.
– Sbahle Dumakude
Pictures: Xolani Ncube
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