Images: Shelley Christians

In the spirit of solidarity and transformation, this Women's Day, six accomplished women - all University of the Western Cape (UWC) alumnae - gathered over tea to reflect on their journey. 

The event’s theme centred around the challenges they’ve overcome, the barriers and perceptions in the workplace and the continued journey of women to succeed while trying to maintain a personal and work-life balance.

The event, a high tea complete with a violinist, was themed, Empowered Women Transforming Tomorrow, and held in aid of bursaries for female students, highlighting successes they’ve achieved and how UWC shaped their paths as leaders and changemakers.

Smile 90.4FM Radio personality  Sylvia Akach - better known as Sylvia A - took on the role of facilitator on the day. 

One of the speakers was alumna Rene Naylor, a former Springbok Rugby physiotherapist and owner of Naylor & Croy Physiotherapists. She is a pioneer in sports physiotherapy and a high-performance consultant who exemplifies breaking barriers in male-dominated industries like the South African rugby scene.

Rene Naylor speaks about the challenges she faced when she started as a physiotherapist for the Springboks.

She said when she started working as the Boks' physiotherapist, it was during a time when the entire team was represented by Afrikaaner men. 

“Those around me didn’t know that I felt stifled in not being able to voice my opinions. I recall one incident when my baby was still very young and I was breastfeeding at the time. It coincided with a period when the Boks were meant to play abroad, and I was told that I could bring my baby along with a nanny to assist me. When I eventually did, I realised that it was thought that I wouldn’t actually do it. But I had the conviction to challenge the status quo and went on to do it,” said Naylor. 

Another speaker, Cara-Jean Petersen, is the CEO of The Feenix Trust, a UWC alumna and trained psychological counsellor with over 15 years of experience in youth development.  She leads innovation in student access and education funding through empathy and purpose-driven leadership. Three universities in the Western Cape accepted Peteresen, but UWC was the only institution that offered her a full bursary.

CEO of The Feenix Trust, Cara-Jean Petersen is an UWC alumna and a trained psychological counsellor.

“My bags were packed for the University of Cape Town, especially because my mom was an alumna there. But we just couldn’t afford it. While I was initially devastated that I needed to shift where I would be studying, especially with the negative and narrow-minded comments about UWC, now I hold only gratitude in my heart. Udubs became the space where I was given permission to discover my authentic self, challenge the status quo, take up space and know I belong. I was more than my academics, more than my household income, more than my colour, just more. The exposure to richness in diversity, both culturally and in perspectives, fully equipped me with the foundation needed to be an unapologetic leader in the impact space.”

UWC’s Manager for Donor and Alumni Relations, Vera Adams, said, “The High Tea was not just about celebrating the achievements of our alumni, but also about honouring the journeys that shaped them.  The panellists reminded us that our alumni carry forward the University’s legacy of resilience, advocacy and change, inspiring the next generation to rise and lead.”

• The event was kindly sponsored by the Mastercard Scholarship Programme, Momentum Corporate, Classic 10 SKWCC Hair Science, TheFix, and Dilmah Tea.

Sylvia A laughs during the panel discussions.