Talent, Opportunity and a Legacy in Motion
Our 2026 Donor-Learner Breakfast was a particularly special morning as we gathered our Ruthies, their families, donors, mentors, trustees, teachers, alumnae and friends of the Trust to celebrate the power of opportunity.
The theme of the morning, “Talent, not circumstance, should determine a girl’s future,” captures so much of why the Ruth First Jeppe Memorial Trust exists. Every year, we meet girls with remarkable talent, determination and potential, but whose financial circumstances may otherwise limit the opportunities available to them. Our role is to help remove that barrier through access to quality education, mentorship, emotional and academic support, leadership opportunities and enrichment.
From a Ruthie to a role model
Our alumna guest speaker, Tshaamano Mabuba, brought this theme to life in the most powerful way.
Exactly ten years ago, Tshaamano was sitting in the very same room as a 13-year-old Grade 7 girl from Krugersdorp, having just been selected as a Ruth First scholar. She spoke candidly about how little she could have imagined the trajectory that lay ahead of her. The image above shows her with the guest speaker of that event, Ahmed Kathrada, who was a lifelong anti-apartheid comrade of Ruth First.
Tshaamano reminded us that a scholarship is about far more than paying school fees. It is someone saying, “I see something in you, and I am willing to bet on it.” The Trust gave her not only an education, but mentors, exposure, opportunities, wellness support and the confidence to enter rooms she might never otherwise have entered.
Today, Tshaamano is a data scientist, entrepreneur and education advocate. Her story is a powerful reminder that we cannot always see the full trajectory of a young person’s life from where they are standing today.
Her message to our incoming scholars was simple and powerful: you belong here, don’t waste the wind, and pay it forward. One day, they too will become the example that another Grade 7 girl looks to and thinks, “Maybe I can do that too."
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
Our incoming Trustee, Nthatisi Quella, echoed this message beautifully in her address in absentia.
Drawing on her own career in education, from teaching in Lesotho and South Africa to her current work in higher education and leadership development, Nthatisi spoke about a lesson she learned early: potential is everywhere, but opportunity is not.
For Nthatisi, the Trust represents the creation of pathways for talented young people to access opportunities that might otherwise remain out of reach. She spoke about education as something that should do more than produce academic results — it should expand a young woman’s sense of what is possible, while developing confidence, character, resilience, curiosity and leadership.
Her words complemented Tshaamano’s story perfectly: one spoke from the perspective of a young woman whose trajectory was changed by an opportunity, while the other spoke from the perspective of someone committed to helping create those opportunities for the next generation.
Hello to our newest Ruthies, goodbye to our Matrics One of the most meaningful parts of our breakfast was welcoming our 2027 scholarship recipients, ten Grade 7 girls who will soon begin their journey at Jeppe High School for Girls as Ruthies.
For these young girls, the morning marked the beginning of something new - a new school, a new community and a new set of possibilities. We look forward to walking alongside them, supporting, mentoring and encouraging them as they grow and thrive.
At the same time, we said goodbye to our 2026 Matrics as they prepare to leave Jeppe and begin the next chapter of their lives.
There is something particularly special about this moment because it reflects the cycle at the heart of the Trust. As one group of girls arrives, another prepares to leave. There is a hello and a goodbye, a beginning and an ending - but the story continues.
Our Matrics leave knowing that they will always be part of the Ruth First family. And, as Tshaamano reminded us, they become part of a growing alumnae community and part of the legacy that makes it possible for the next Grade 7 girl to walk through the same doors.
The legacy continues
The morning was ultimately a celebration of what happens when talent meets opportunity - and what happens when that opportunity is multiplied through the lives of others.
As Nthatisi so aptly put it, “One person opens a door. Another walks through it. And eventually, that person opens another door for someone else."
That is the legacy we are building together.
To our donors, mentors, teachers, trustees, families and supporters: thank you for opening doors. Because when you invest in a Ruthie, you are not simply investing in one girl’s education. You are helping create the possibilities for everything she may go on to become - and for all the people whose lives she will eventually touch.
Talent, not circumstance, should determine a girl’s future. And together, we can help make that possible.
Ruth First Jeppe Memorial Trust
Should you wish to make a donation, payment is accepted by SnapScan or eft to Absa, Eastgate, Branch code 632005, Account number 4076706321. Many Thanks.
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