This might surprise you.

And yes, this post is entirely unrelated to the attached photos!

Recently, at a work event, a stranger walked up to me and asked,

Hi, are you from Carletonville?

When I said yes, she literally jumped for joy.

“ It’s you! Oh my God, it’s you,” she said.

She goes on to say , “ You might not remember this, but when I was in high school, a group was bullying my friend and me outside the library. You stepped in and saved us.

We never forgot you. My friend and I recently saw a post about you on the Faculty Of Engineering at TUT social page and I can’t believe it’s really you. “

Here is the most beautiful twist, good people : I later discovered that she is now an accomplished mechanical engineer herself, currently working towards completing her Master’s degree.
Yet, she still carries the memory of a brief moment outside a library, more than 20 years ago.

To be completely honest, this incident was entirely erased from my mind. I didn’t remember it at all. But it served as a powerful, humbling reminder of a truth we often forget….

People will always remember how you made them feel. As we spoke further, she looked at me and said, “Wow, you are still as warm as I remember.”

That statement truly touched my heart. Looking back, I realize that standing up for others and extending grace weren’t just random acts. In retrospect, those principles have quietly woven themselves into my identity and my leadership style today. In leadership, and in life, technical skills matter. But human connection matters more.Treat people well.

Extend grace whenever you can. And when given the opportunity, choose to be on the right side of justice. You never know whose life you are changing just by being kind.

#Leadership #EmpathyInAction #ReadEveryWhere #Bibliotherapy #ReadingActivist #BookLover #HumanConnection #EngineeringLife #WomenInEngineering #Ubuntu #KindnessMatters