“Don’t diminish your brilliance,” says Lerato Sono, a UP lecturer who is the recipient of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Former President Nelson Mandela is known the world over as a change agent who made an indelible mark on society. His remarkable leadership skills and abilities have inspired countless individuals to become catalysts for positive change in their communities.

One such individual is Lerato Sono, a young lecturer in the School of Public Management and Administration in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria (UP). Motivated by Mandela's legacy, Sono is committed to spearheading transformative initiatives that will contribute to Africa's development.

She is the recipient of the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship for young African leaders, a flagship programme of the US government’s Young African Leaders Initiative. Since its inception in 2014, the fellowship has attracted about 5 800 rising young leaders between the ages of 25 and 35 from across sub-Saharan Africa to the US to participate in academic and leadership training. As part of the fellowship, Sono joins 700 young leaders in the US in June for a 10-week comprehensive executive-style programme designed to build skills and empower fellows to drive change in their respective sectors and communities.

During the fellowship, she will be based at Howard University, renowned for producing global leaders such as Toni Morrison and Kamala Harris, among other notable alumni. Sono was attracted by the fellowship’s mission of developing the next generation of African leaders who will be at the forefront of socio-economic change and development in Africa. She looks forward to acquiring skills and knowledge that will hone her leadership skills in her quest to be an effective leader.

“I have always seen myself as a change agent, but was equally aware of certain aspects of my leadership skills that needed to be developed,” says Sono, who holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from UP, obtained with distinction. “The fellowship will aid me with this through its comprehensive leadership development experience, such as academic coursework, mentorship, networking opportunities and practical experiences that aim to enhance participants’ leadership skills and abilities. This will enable me to become a more effective leader in my field.”

Sono hopes the exposure that the fellowship offers will broaden her global perspective and understanding, and nurture her into an impactful young global leader. As a young lecturer, she has found inspiration and hope for a prosperous Africa; this was ignited by her students, who exude potential to become exceptional leaders who will drive Africa forward.

“I believe every young person has the potential to be a great leader,” Sono says. “But without efforts to nurture their latent potential, we will continue to experience great challenges. I walk into a classroom almost every day, and what stands out to me in my engagement with my students is the hope they have for their lives, their communities, their country and the world; and their belief that they have something unique to offer to the spaces they wish to impact.

“However, they need a lot of courage, resilience and tenacity to actualise that hope; this needs to be harnessed consistently. Otherwise, we will be sitting with brilliant young people who have not been able to optimise their potential.”

Sono sees her role in academia as one of leadership, one that enables her to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of students. Her mantra is to make an impact in any space she finds herself in. For her, leadership transcends status, titles and positions, and embodies an ongoing commitment to effect social change and development.

“For me, leadership is about heeding the call to take up space and make a difference wherever life plants you,” she says. “My ambition is to have the courage, resilience and tenacity to do just that in any place or role I find myself in. I once read that the richest place in the world are cemeteries, because there lie companies that were never started, potentially life-changing books that were never written, great artwork that was never created. So my ultimate ambition is to ‘die empty’ – reach the end of my life’s journey having poured out into the world everything I could contribute.”

Driven by her desire to make a meaningful impact on society as a young leader and contribute to student success, she founded the Inclusive Futures Programme, a fully-fledged developmental initiative aimed at poor-performing students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. This initiative was borne from witnessing the stark reality faced by students from disadvantaged backgrounds who struggled academically due to a lack of access to developmental opportunities. At her previous workplace, Sono developed support interventions for such students, resulting in a drastic improvement in their academic performance.

“Some of the reasons for students’ poor performance are complex, and specialised support is needed to unearth their true potential,” she says. “That way, they will be able to realise their dreams to excel in their studies and improve the conditions of the communities they come from, so that those who come after them do not face the same challenges.”

As South Africa celebrates Youth Month in June, Sono’s message to young people is this: “Don’t diminish your brilliance. Heed the call to take up space wherever you are. Live authentically; embody the essence of who you are, your unique gifts and talents; and serve in those spaces you have been planted.”