Ujeet Maharaj, North-West University (NWU) Prosecutor & Head of Discipline at the Vanderbijlpark Campus shares with us how his nine year journey as a proud staff member of the #MyNWU-family has contributed to his growing passion for student justice.
Ujeet’s role at the NWU has changed and evolved over the course of the past nine years. Starting out as a Timetable and Venue Assistant, moving onto managing the UnivPrep Centre and in 2015 taking on the role as Acting Judicial Officer.
He interviewed for his current position, as Prosecutor & Head of Discipline at the Vanderbijlpark Campus in March 2018 and officially transferred to Student Judicial Services on 1 July 2020. He highlights that his experience in student discipline has contributed to continuous growth in the passion he holds for student justice.
His ability to provide justice to students in whatever way he can, is a quality in himself he is very proud of. This gives him a sense of fulfillment, alongside seeing rehabilitated students graduate. Playing a big part in why Ujeet believes he is able to continue doing what he does, is his current manager and directors, “they are the epitome of leadership.”
The most interesting project Ujeet worked on at the NWU was networking with the 29 South African Universities Against GBV that are part of the Conference of Parties (COP) for Universities Against GBV (#universitiesagainstGBV). “The NWU made this opportunity possible through our dedication to addressing social concerns and exemplifying our ethic of care to students and the NWU community,” he adds.
Talking about career goals, Ujeet sees himself as an LLM graduate. Apart from wishing he could have been a scientific researcher working on helping to find a cure for cancer, the one thing that he would share with his younger self would be a quote from the author, Sadhguru: “If you think you are big, you become small. If you know you are nothing, you become unlimited. That’s the beauty of a human being.” For him, it reminds him that you must build yourself in such a way that when opportunities open up in your life, your body and mind would not hold you back.
If you think you are big, you become small. If you know you are nothing, you become unlimited.
Sadhguru, Jaggi Vasudev
That’s the beauty of a human being.
While embarking on a journey of providing justice, tapping more into his spiritual side and journey of forgiveness as well as exploring the joys of traveling within South Africa to discover the hidden gems within our country’s borders are some of the things on his bucket list.
Fast Facts
Favourite food – Butter chicken-prawns with garlic naan
Sweet or salty – Sweet
Binge watching – NCIS & Greys Anatomy
Last song listened – Jug Jug Jeeve by Sachet Tandon & Parampara Tandon
Seaside or bushveld – Seaside