13 Aug 2018

Former Miss Botswana, Malebogo Marumoagae has inspired Parwe Junior Secondary School students to acquire essential life skills coupled with academic skills in order to excel in life. 

Giving a mentorship and coaching address at the school on August 10, Marumoagae advised the students that academic excellence on its own would not be enough to produce a well-rounded individual who would be in a position to withstand life challenges.

 A well behaved student will not only excel academically but also be in a position to interact well with others and ultimately attaining social skills, she said. Marumoagae said it would be unfortunate for a student to be comfortable with being naughty and being a ring leader of negative behaviour. 

“Maintain healthy family relationships,” she advised the students.

Ms Marumoagae further said communication was important in mastering interpersonal relationships. “Understand that people are different and have been raised differently,” she said.    

Ms Marumoagae appealed to the students to develop strong personality, be in a position to resist temptations and make their own decisions.

“Build a strong personality, accept that as a person you can make mistakes, be apologetic and be polite. Be authentic, stick to who you are, know your strengths and weaknesses and ask when you need help,” she said. 

Ms Marumoagae also talked about setting personal  goals and striving to achieve them.

“If you do not work on your dreams, someone will engage you to work on their dreams,” she said

Telling her life story, Ms Marumoagae described herself as someone who was raised in a traditional setup where not only her parents but the whole community contributed to her upbringing.

“I was raised by a village and therefore my focus is on giving back to all of them,” she said. She urged the students to be confident.

Meanwhile Natasha Siku, a tennis player said her rise to stardom started 10 years ago while at junior secondary school.

“I was your age when I started realising my potential,” she said.

Even though she developed interest in various sporting codes and athletics while at primary school, Ms Siku said her rise to stardom was realised at the age of 15. 

She said success was designed for people who were willing to work hard despite their circumstances. Besides excelling in sport, Siku also focused on her academic performance.

She advised students that while doing well in sport they must also focus on improving academically.

Siku said her dream was to grow, both in sports and academics. “I took it upon myself to turn my dream into a reality and it was not easy to get where I am today,” she said.

Through her hard work and dedication, Ms Siku managed to secure a college scholarship in United States of America in 2013. She told the students that it was not easy, playing tennis while studying.

She  told her audieance that she was  raised by a single parent as her father passed away while she was still young,urging learners to look beyond unfavourable circumstances to strive towards realising their dreams.

“Withstand the hardships, focus and write your success story.”  ENDS