The theme for Youth Month 2023 is: “Accelerating collaborations and opportunities to improve the lives of the youth.”
At the North-West University (NWU), our students have boundless opportunities to explore beyond what is expected of them. This gives them the chance to become the leaders their community needs and the leadership skills they develop help them soar beyond their academic journey!
Join us in celebrating Youth Month by recognising the student leaders who are shaping the future of our university and the world.
Meet NWU Eagle Tarren Fontuin, SCC Sports Officer 2022/2023 and ASC Chairperson 2022/2023 on the Mahikeng Campus. She is currently studying Public Administration in Human Resources and she states that the youth play a vital role in South Africa. Tarren also highlights that providing the youth with a wide range of abilities, skills, and knowledge that employers are looking for is of utmost importance for the growth of the South African economy.
Tarren became a student leader because she enjoys helping students and exposing students to the remarkable opportunities that the North-West University has to offer.
Her role as a student leader allows her to voice students’ challenges and concerns to the university management. “Not only voicing out the challenges but also finding solutions with the students that can work in our favour and making sure these solutions are implemented. I am also in a position to keep students updated constantly on the responses from the management of those challenges and concerns.”
Tarren, as a student leader, believes that student leaders should always consider how one’s actions may affect or impact someone else’s life. Her favourite quote by Charlotte Maxeke emphasizes that: “This work is not for yourselves. Kill that spirit of self and do not live above your people but live with them, and if you can rise, bring someone with you.”
“Make sure you do what you are supposed to do,” is Tarren’s advice to the #NWUEagles who aspire to become student leaders. She believes it is critical to not just hear what people have to say, but rather to listen. There’s a lot you can learn from a simple “Hello. We all have a lot to offer,” she says.
During her journey as an NWU student leader, Tarren has learned that when taking any significant decision in student leadership. Ask for advice from people with experience to avoid making unnecessary mistakes. She loves working with students from diverse backgrounds. She also values that the department she works in allows her to collaborate with other departments. “It’s imperative to constantly learn and evolve in all aspects.”
Happy Youth Month, #NWUEagles!
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