Dr Lindiwe Tsope
Nominee's Province:
Gauteng
Project Name/Description:
Lecturer at Rhodes University
Dr Lindiwe Tsope’s advice to the girl child is to know that her dreams are not in vain, work towards achieving them as one day that preparation will meet an opportunity that will change everything. “I want the girl child to know that there is a big world waiting for her to explore and find what makes her heart smile,” says the 27-year-old academic who has been making waves in the fraternity. Not only did she complete three degrees in record time at Rhodes University – earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology in 2015, an Honours degree in Sociology (cum laude) in 2016, a Master’s degree the following year – she went on to complete her fourth degree last year at only 26 years of age. Her doctoral thesis looked at the experiences of Rhodes University students and staff living with HIV/Aids, the first study of its kind. Tsope holds another distinction. She’s among the first alumni of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls to achieve such stunning academic success. Tsope is now a project coordinator at the Aurum Institute, an institution dedicated to improving health in developing communities. The young academic from Emdeni, Soweto, is also a pioneer on the home front. She’s the first in her family to go into academia. Her mechanic dad and stay-at-home mom did everything in their power to put food on the table and support their children’s dreams. The family lived in a backyard room. Everything has turned out well, thanks to Tsope’s dedication and ambition and family support. Tsope finds it humbling to move from being a consumer of knowledge to becoming a producer of knowledge that affects change.
