Irene Nyuma Nyirenda

If I had gone to a different school I don’t think I would have been able to fully discover how active and good I was at the different sports I played

Irene Nyuma Nyirenda from Malawi attended Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa from 1995-1999. She currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa where she works as a Civil Design Engineer. She is primarily involved in the design of mining infrastructure and waste containment facilities for mining and industrial waste.

Irene has a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa where she is also currently doing her M.Sc.

One of Irene’s favourite activities at Waterford Kamhlaba was sport, and during her time at the College she was able to develop her natural sporting talent.

“If I had gone to a different school I don’t think I would have been able to fully discover how active and good I was at the different sports I played (soccer, netball, basketball, volleyball, and softball). In form 1 I was the youngest person ever to play for the senior team. I won the “Sportswoman of the Year” award from the first year they had introduced it until when I left Waterford. In the process this boosted my self esteem and confidence both in and out of my school life. It gave me an opportunity to travel to countries such as Lesotho, South Africa, and Mozambique, which I would never have gone to on any other circumstance.”

Irene believes that UWC paved the way for her to pursue a career she never thought she would get into.

“I took up Physics and Maths as my main subjects and because I had a very strong foundation from Waterford in these subjects I did exceptionally well just before I applied for university. I then looked at a career that would describe my interests, character and personality. And engineering fitted the bill because I loved the outdoors and anything that involves me being active. Secondly, I wanted to use my analytical skills. Lastly, I have always loved a good challenge.”

Irene also appreciated how UWC gave her a good understanding of other nations and their beliefs. She believes that her experience taught her to be more opened minded in terms of not judging people and their backgrounds, and now she feels better able to work in an environment with people totally different from herself. She says that her current company is a good example of this: in terms of her biggest achievement to date, Irene believes this to be making her mark in a male dominated industry.

“I am currently one of the two only women Engineers in the company whilst the other 25 are men. I have earned my respect equally as any other male Engineer in the same position as me. And I continue to believe women are equally capable as men.”