Yentel Le Roux
Science, Tech, Energy, and Innovation
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Age:
Project Name/Description:
Client Experience and User Experience Designer – Capitec Bank
Yentel Le Roux considers herself a “global citizen,” having lived in the Netherlands, Japan, England and South Africa. Le Roux obtained her MSc in Media Psychology through the prestigious Chevening scholarship at the University of Salford in England. “I was the first researcher to investigate how websites are experienced by colour-blind users using the eye-tracking methodology,” she says, adding that as a neurodivergent individual, navigating digital products had been challenging, inspiring her passion for accessibility in human-centred design in the UX industry and beyond. The tech enthusiast came first at Absa’s Graduate Hackathon Competition and also became a mentor for the US-based Step 123 Mentor for Life Initiative, introducing the programme to South African youth to participate in the annual virtual camp for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In her twenties, Le Roux moved to Japan as a teacher through the Japanese Exchange Teaching programme. She created and implemented an English conversational curriculum, ran English clubs and participated in cross-cultural festivals. “My time in Japan shaped who I am. My passion for giving back was fulfilled every day as I imparted knowledge to the Japanese youth in Nara. I became the only foreign English teacher in my district teaching all three levels of education: elementary, middle and senior high school,” she recounts.
