Miss Meena -carving her path

 Come and meet Meena, 27years old, living in Bontehuewel.  Meena or 'Me' as her mother calls her, is a bubbly lady.  She grew up in the area, despite all the gang violence, with her parents and her younger sister.  She attended Trafalgar high school, which is not in the area, as her mother felt that she needed to school outside of the area. One of her first memories of the issues in Bonteheuwel occured when she was eight years old, coming home from school then a car came by and started shooting.  As the shots rang out, she was able to hid in a neighbours front garden.

Life for her, just like most other young people in the Cape flats, centered alot around family and family interactions and relationships.  Meena recalls one of her fondest memories was when her grandmother turned 70 years old.  Coming from a large extended family, they all gathered and had a beautiful birthday party, celebrating her grandmother and her life.  Her  grandmother was also the stalwart of the family and when she dead, it left a big void and family relationships started to disintegrate.  Compounding this, was also the separation of her parents.  She retreated into her shell, cutting a lot of people off including her father.  She very seldom interacts with her friends despite the act they still seek her out.

Meena finds her escape in reading.  She loves reading science fiction as it transports her to a place that does not exist, seeking for solutions that are not real.  Her mother often chides her for reading so much, saying that she needs to be job hunting instead of spending her time in books.  She loves walking to the library to find a new book.

She discovered Rlabs through an acquaintance in her neighborhood and is now in the process of completing her 5 course. She wants to work in the corporate world and sees the boardroom as the place where she can display her talents.

Meena has a bright future, brighter than what she even thinks and despite the personal challenges is actively seeking out ways to equip and enhance herself.