Durban - Kerosha Naidu, a BTech electrical engineering (instrumental and control) student, has graduated cum laude.
Although she would have liked to attend her graduation, Naidu said she understood that the well-being of people was more important during the Covid-19 pandemic. She said she was, however, still grateful to God for granting her the wisdom to accomplish this achievement.
"I feel like I won a giant prize. It's a great feeling when you aim high and maintain the standard that you have set for yourself,” said Naidu.
“I dedicate this achievement to my mother, Vanilla, who is my biggest motivator."
Naidu, 27, of Chatsworth, said she chose electrical engineering because she liked being challenged and enjoyed programming and fixing things.
She said automation fascinated her and she wanted to be part of the group that used smart technologies to change the world.
In 2015, Naidu enrolled for a national diploma in electrical engineering, which she completed in 2017. The following year, she enrolled part-time for the BTech, while she was working.
“For the course, we were required to work on an industrial project and submit a technical report. Because I work for a company that strives towards continuous improvement, I decided to automate a conveyor system to reduce set-up times and improve quality.
“This involved saving time in the production process and increased quality. It also involved communication between two different programmable logic controllers scaling encoders, designing the safety component and a lot of programming.”
Naidu works as a mechatronics technician at Toyota Tsusho SA Processing in Isipingo. Her duties include supervising electrical projects and contractors and offering technical support to artisans. She added that she also managed interns and planned maintenance activities.
“Generally, I work in a male-dominated field, which sometimes comes with discrimination and disrespect, especially from male counterparts.
“However, I don’t allow that to get to me. I instead use the negativity as a motivation to push forward in my career.”
Naidu said there was still a lot to learn in her field and she hoped to study towards additional degrees. She believes there is no limit to achieving.
“I have applied to study towards my post-graduate diploma in business management and in the future, I hope to pursue an MBA.”
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