Pearl Lebusho: I don’t want young people to make the same mistake I did
[bctt tweet=”I had only one pair of jeans to wear to college and that motivated me to work extra hard” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Pearl Lebusho may have left university twice yet she devotes her time to ensuring girls stay in school. Coming from a rural community, Pearl knows first hand how schools can leave girls poorly informed on what to expect at university. Driven by her passion to help young women from disadvantaged backgrounds, Pearl started the Miss Free State Schools Pageant. Miss FS Schools Pageant is a learning and social reformation programme that inspires and encourages young girls in South Africa’s Free State province through beauty pageants. This builds a community of models and supports girls who see modelling as a career. When Pearl isn’t busy with the pageant, she helps girls attend the Matric dance (aka prom night) by providing dresses. She speaks candidly about dropping out from university and growing her social ventures. You have mentioned that you don’t have a university degree but have pushed others to getting theirs. Tell us about it I dropped out of university twice. The first time was in 2003. I enrolled for a qualification in Information Technology (B. Com IT ) at the University of the Free State. I was accepted. However, I had no clue of what that course entailed as I was from a previously disadvantaged school where we did not have career guidance or development. The qualification was not what I expected. To start with, I had no background of accounting and computer from school. I failed my major course and NSFAS took their loan back. My mother could not afford my fees as she was going through a divorce then. What did you do next? I had to be enrolled to a college the next year. My granny had to pay for my studies out of her little pension money. I had only one pair of jeans to wear to college and that motivated me to work extra hard. That year, I got the best student of the year award. I further completed my certificate in web design in 2004 and NQF Level 5 system support engineer in 2007, both in IT. I was forced to work and study to make it possible. My granny encouraged me to finish the qualification even though I was no longer interested. Then bang, it was the best idea because it got me a job. But you were not happy with your 9-5, why was this so? It was not enough that I was in a job. I was not happy, not only because I did not enjoy the work but because my heart was crying for the young people who were coming from the same background as mine. I was scared that they would make the same mistake I made. In 2008, I started my school visits where I would speak to Matric students in schools and send them bursary applications. That was not enough as it was not resolving the core of the problem —why young people find themselves in wrong or unfulfilling careers. I continued to assist others with career advice but as I was not qualified to do so, I knew I had to get trained. [bctt tweet=”My heart was crying for the young people who were coming from the same background as mine” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Now, I am an accredited career guidance practitioner and have assisted thousands of students through my foundation, It’s Possible. I am now looking into having a Degree and PhD in Psychology and be a registered with the Council of Psychologists in SA. What has held you back from returning to university? First, time management. In 2010 for the second time, I enrolled at the University of the Free State and I was accepted in the faculty of Humanities to study a degree in Psychology. I was also a newly-wed wife and a new mother of a 1 year old boy. With little money to afford a helper and stuck in a demanding job, I dropped out again. This time because I did not calculate my risks and plan my time. I made a loan to finance my studies and all that cash was flushed in the toilet when I did not finish my studies again. However, I managed to finish and obtain the accreditation certificate in career development. Another issue is finances. I have now three children that I need to pay school fees for and three younger siblings who are at university that I am also expected to support. I am currently trusting God for my breakthrough so that next year, I can have financial assistance to fund my studies. The reason why I say I do not have a degree and do not mention my other college qualification, is because I want to see myself one day with my degree in Psychology. I want to be registered as a professional councillor so that I can fully advice young people about their careers and on the importance of choosing the right qualification. Also, I want to own a walk-in centre where kids will have access to such information. I see myself referred to as Dr. Lebusho in the near future. [bctt tweet=”The reason why I say I do not have a degree, is because I want to get my degree in Psychology one day” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Tell us about the Matric dance, how do you ensure the project goes smoothly? Where do you collect dresses from? The Matric dance is a project that I started in my Matric year. I had a friend who was a top performer in our class. As she was from a disadvantaged family, she could not afford to attend the Matric dance. She did not have clothes to attend the dance with so I approached her and asked if she would not mind me lending her my evening dress. She agreed and I did exactly that, we bought her a cream relaxer and her sister did her hair.