We catch up with Shalitha Magerman, senior student adviser in the Department of Residence Affairs and Accommodation. 

What do you do on a daily basis?

I am a senior student advisor in the Student Support and Leadership Development Division. My core function is to provide student support in residences; this includes short-term counselling and guidance both in the office and on-site before referral to long-term counselling. With all the complicated difficulties that young people face, students in residence often require emotional help. I also recommend students to our professional service providers or other supportive institutions.

What attracted you to UP? 

I believe in the law of attraction. I always wanted to work for UP and I just started putting it out there, and two years down the line, I was here, at UP. I believe it was a calling for me to come work at UP and every time I experience challenges, I always tell myself that I have been called for such a time: to make an impact. To answer to my calling with enthusiasm. 

What do you enjoy about your job and why? 

Knowing that I answered to my calling, knowing that when a student comes into my office, they will leave having received help. I consider my job crucial, as students rely on me to help them navigate campus life. So it is important for me to give them hope so that they can overcome any obstacle and, more importantly, so that they can get what they came for at UP – an education and a better life. 

What do you enjoy least about your job? 

When I do not have and cannot access resources that better enable me to help students to the best of my ability.

What is your favourite quote of all time? 

“Leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others.”

What do you do in your free time? 

I am the director of an NGO that assists abused women and children, so I invest my time there. I also enjoy watching rugby.

Do you have any suggestions for making UP an even better place to work?

UP is steadily progressing with regard to transformation and diversity, yet because of the nature of the very diverse community we engage with, we still have a long road ahead. Between the time I started working here in 2011 and now, transformation has been a goal of UP and I have seen this transition unfold gradually. The university has a Transformation Office and perhaps needs to invest in sensitising the workplace to managing such a diverse complement of staff members and students, particularly the support staff who generally are the wheels of UP and thus should feel acknowledged that they belong and contribute to the greater success of the University.

Is there anything that you would like to share with the UP community? 

Always strive to empower others to master the art of living to become the best that they can be!