Impact, sustainable change and empowerment are ideas that resonate with Micaela Wathen, a student leader in the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS).

Wathen, a third-year BCom Marketing Management student and Chair of EMS Faculty House Commercii, believes in the ideals of servant leadership to steer positive change in society. In this role, she works to amplify the voices of students to ensure that they are heard, and helps them navigate university life.  

“Leadership is incredibly important because it drives change and movement that would otherwise be difficult to realise,” Wathen says. “As students, we want to be heard, but if 10 000 students are speaking and saying different things, then no one is heard. However, a leader can create unity and consolidate these views into a single voice.”

For her, leadership entails harnessing the individual strengths of different people to achieve a common objective and making a difference in the spaces she finds herself working in.

“Leadership is often about seeing that which others cannot see – hope, growth and potential – and using those as sources of motivation during times of difficulty,” she says.

In her quest to make an impact, Wathen wants to be an agent of sustainable change, contributing to the development of people by empowering them to be self-sufficient. Ultimately, her goal is to help people recognise their inherent value and unleash their latent potential.

“But this potential goes to waste because people either cannot recognise that it is there, or they do not have the means to further that potential,” Wathen says. “With the right support and access to tools, they can accomplish a lot.”

Despite the changing political landscape and socio-economic challenges, Wathen is motivated by South Africa’s young people, who inspire hope for a better tomorrow. She believes that South Africa has great potential – particularly among youth, whose talents and aspirations are a beacon of hope.

From childhood, Wathen was surrounded by young individuals who were positive sources of influence, working towards the common good. These individuals inspired her to “level up” and be an agent for social change.

“When you have such influences around you, their zeal and successes motivate you to work hard and push through despite the challenges in the world,” she says.

South Africa celebrates 30 years of its democracy this year. Reflecting on the role of young people in South Africa, Wathen highlights their crucial contributions, noting that they were instrumental in achieving this milestone. She honours the youth of 1976 for their sacrifices and strength in fighting injustices and inequality in the education system, acknowledging that today's generation benefits from their efforts.

However, she notes that the uprising of young people against injustice and inequality is often mistaken for rebellious behaviour.

“They are dubbed anarchists or revolutionaries because their ideas are seen as outlandish and contrarian when they challenge the status quo,” she says.

Wathen believes that where injustice prevails and change is imminent, it is important for young people to challenge the status quo to effect change and transform society for the better.

She hopes to continue using her leadership skills and traits to serve beyond her current student leadership role. It has always been her dream to make an impact on society. True to the saying “charity begins at home”, her goal is to lead by lending a hand in the communities where her parents grew up.

“Most of my life, I have tried to be someone who goes the extra mile; I give my all to any endeavour I take on. Having been a leader from a young age, I have been taught that to lead is to serve. So I aspire to serve well in whichever spaces I find myself in, but to do so in a way that also prioritises my well-being.”

In leading and serving people, Wathen’s dream is this: “To bring about a world where people can support themselves and one another to fulfil their basic needs, a world where people can pursue the things they love and live a high quality of life.”