Sidee

"Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" meaning "a person is a person through other people", is one of my grounding beliefs.

At every point in my life, there has been someone who served as a critical link between where I was and where my path was leading me. In this video, I share some of the dots that needed to connect for me to get to this very moment.

It's tricky to find a true beginning to the story that led me here because there have been so many serendipitous moments along the way. But for the sake of starting somewhere, let's say it begins with Mike Hyatt inviting me to a Rotaract meeting, where I met Gary Sanderfield who sought my help with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. That led me to Martha Saavedra , who led me to Reeta Roy, through whom I met Fred Swaniker.

There were many other connectors, enablers and inspirations along the way, people like Melinda Johnston, who helped mold me into who I am today. And at the centre of so much of this journey was the Mastercard Scholars Program. An institution that I would not be able to tell this story without.

And even then, the story begins long before that. Because I was shaped by an incredible mother and siblings, who knew and empowered me to be bold before Mike ever thought of inviting me for that meeting. Ngingumuntu, ngabantu.

Adulting is hard, but there is wisdom in age. And every year, I tap into that wisdom by connecting the dots and gaining perspective on why past events needed to happen for my future to unfold.

I hope you take a moment to connect the dots in your own life. Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu.