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To Be Successful You Need To Be Able To Take Criticism!

To Be Successful You Need To Be Able To Take Criticism!

“It’s finally done! Oh my goodness, it felt like studying and coming to campus every day, was just not going to end. But it was worth every second,” said the euphoric Lenisha Reddy, who aspires to make a difference in the South African housing sector.

The spunky lass graduated this morning (Tuesday, 7 May 2019) at the Fred Crookes Sports Centre, Steve Biko Camp, Durban.

For Reddy, architecture has always been her number one choice, ever since she was in school. “Coming from humble beginnings, on a farm in Groutville, prompted me to learn more about the built environment. Moving into an urban space from a rural area, basically maneuvered me into understanding and learning both lifestyles,” she said.

The architectural technologist said her four year BTech programme in Architectural Technology formed the basis of her perseverance towards achieving an in-depth knowledge in the field. “Architectural Technology needs people to be open-minded, and to understand that there is more than one way to solving problems. It allows people to embrace the built environment and demonstrates to not only the people in our field, but everyone, as to why we do the things we do, and the manner in which we do it,” she stressed.

Reddy also added that more women should join the field of Engineering and the Built Environment. She said it is a rather male dominated sector, which needs the selected handful of strong women. “I believe in equal rights, but also equal responsibilities. A woman in a male dominated sector must be able to woman up and deal with things with her head held high,” she stressed.

Gaining opportunities through architecture, also allow her to travel, during her BTech year, she was selected for a workshop in Poland. “This was definitely the biggest motivating factor, not only during my studies, it has made a huge impact on my life,” she said.

Reddy also said DUT prepared her for the working world with work-integrated-learning. “For six months, I had the opportunity to work in a firm, from which I gained all practical knowledge. Also, my lecturers taught me that not everyone is your friend, its each person for themselves in the bigger picture,” she added.

In terms of her future, she aims to help other students with their studies.

“I have always aspired to be a lecturer, and I hope that after many years of hard work and life experiences, I will be able to pass down my knowledge to younger generations,” she said.

Reddy is currently employed at a dynamic architectural firm – Ries Shaw Architects as an architectural technician, adding that she wants to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible, before thinking of studying further, as she will use her experience as her apparatus.

Her advice to inspiring architectural technologists is to be a sponge and absorb knowledge in the working environment. “There is always someone who knows more than you do, and also share this knowledge, do not be selfish, a little goes a long way. And most importantly be true to yourself and to others,” she said.

Pictured: Lenisha Reddy

Waheeda Peters

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