Transforming silence into language and action

Find an opportunity to prepare yourself to explode and tools to build your own table. Elizabeth JosephNineteen-year-old Bertha Junior Tobias hails from the northern parts of Namibia. Among other things, she has served as the editor of her school newspaper, vice chairperson of her school debate society as well as head girl of Delta Secondary School Windhoek. She is a part of the community of Namibian high school learners who have been fully funded by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and is a recipient of a Karen Mok Scholarship. Tobias obtained the maximum amount of points in the Junior Secondary Certificate and placed first nationally for English as a First Language, and second for German as a Foreign Language. As if that wasn’t impressive enough already, in 2017, she won a fully-funded, one-month trip to Germany at the National German Speech Competition held in Windhoek. She has also received awards for Best Namibian Speaker and Best Female Debater at national and international tournaments between 2016 and 2018. She has written articles for The Namibian’s YouthPaper, and was an intern at Namibia Media Holdings in 2016. She is a #BeFree ambassador, a movement under the One Economy Foundation of the Office of the First Lady. Tobias has also aimed to give back through her work as an intern at the United Nations Population Fund Namibia in 2019. She has spoken as a guest lecturer at Sam Shivute Inspirations Namibia.She is currently pursuing an International Baccalaureate qualification at the United World College in Changhsu, China, where she served as the chairperson of the student government body. She recently received a scholarship to pursue her tertiary studies at Claremont Mckenna College in California, USA. On The GrowOn The Grow is a youth professional development training programme focused on cultivating skills in the areas of public speaking, leadership, interview skills, network building and opportunity identification. The training will take place in June 2020, with a series of sessions dedicated to the respective areas. She said On The Grow uses a self-designed curriculum with self-curated training materials, complemented by insights from industry experts. “We have chosen 70 out of 200 applications for the opportunity. Our next cycle of applications will be in June 2021,” she said. The rise The project officially began in October 2019, when they initially sent out application forms. Although there is no mention of backers at this point, she said they are actively looking for sponsors and/or long-lasting partners. She described the goals of the programme as enriching and long-lasting. “Our aim is to produce young people who are confident in their ability to manifest the power of personal initiative and to deliver meaningful, practical and useful solutions to individual struggles pertaining to employment acquisition and creation,” she further said. The project idea stemmed from realising the importance of a distinct skill set, which is important for navigating oneself into meaningful professional spaces. Equally important, Tobias said, is a genuine, burning desire to ignite professional self-reliance and strategic action.Other ventures she is currently working on is a TEDx talk.AdviceWhen asked what advice she would give to her peers, she said: “To transform their silence into language and action. To remember that the world doesn’t owe us anything – we only ever get what we have the courage to ask for. Most importantly, to always do what they want.” 10 fun facts about Tobias1. She speaks five languages. 2. In another life, she would be an actress.3. She will be moving to California in August 2020 to study international relations and government. 4. She’s a die-hard High School Musical fan.5. She has an irrational fear of teddy bears and dogs.6. Her left leg is shorter than her right.7. She has never seen a Harry Potter movie.8. She thinks the book The Awakened Woman by Tererai Trent should be required reading for everyone.9. She’s terribly afraid of the rain.10. Her life described in a song title would be I Was Here by Beyoncé.

Transforming silence into language and action

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Republikein 2025-06-18

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Transforming silence into language and action

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