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20 August 2020 | Story Loenie Bolleurs | Photo Charl Devenish
Saajida Abdulla believes great leaders are ambitious, driven, and aspire for transformation, but never purely for themselves. They are ambitious for others and possess an indefinite will to do whatever is necessary in service of this greater cause.
Coming from a strong business and entrepreneurial background, Saajida Abdulla is currently serving her Industrial Psychology internship in the Department of Organisational Development and Employee Wellness at the University of the Free State (UFS). 

Abdulla’s academic background includes several degrees in both psychology and business. After completing an honours degree in Business Sciences, she worked in the retail sector for several years. 

However, she still felt unfulfilled in her career path and returned to the world of academia to combine her passion for psychology and her inherent business strengths by pursuing further studies in Industrial Psychology. 

An interview with Abdulla sheds light on some of her dreams, inspirations, and challenges. 

Is there a woman who inspires you and who you would like to celebrate this Women’s Month, and why?

I am inspired by STRONG WOMEN LEADERS, those who are accelerants for change, who have pushed through obstacles, challenged the status quo, and strived for transformation in their space – woman branded with tenacity, grit, resilience, and the vision to lead others to excellence.

My greatest inspiration is my mother. Her strength of character, resilience, and perseverance in overcoming adversity is what inspires me to keep going and be the best I can be. 

I am inspired by STRONG WOMEN LEADERS, those who are accelerants for change, who have pushed through obstacles, challenged the status quo, and strived for transformation in their space. - Saajida Abdulla

What are some challenges you have faced in your life that have made you a better woman?

If I had to single out some of the challenges I have faced, I would say failure. The taste of failure and disappointment has propelled me to keep pushing myself and to not allow situations to define me. I have learnt to view failure as nothing but a temporary setback, because if you allow the feelings of failure and disappointment to halt your growth, you will never evolve. 

What advice would you give to the 15-year-old you?

Your life has been designed by the best of architects, and even though you may not understand all the turns and detours, they are all absolutely necessary to take you to the exact places you need to be. On this journey, you will also encounter setbacks and failure, but embrace it, for it will lead to the evolution of your success. 

What would you say makes you a champion woman [of the UFS]?

I am honoured to be considered as one of the UFS’s champion women, and I believe it is inherently linked to my strive for great leadership. I critically evaluate and challenge situations, provide a vision for innovative problem solving, and direct change and transformation within all areas of my personal and professional life. However, the greatest quality that makes me a champion woman of the UFS, is my fundamental purpose to make a difference in the lives of others.

 


News Archive

Call for campus review and participation into renaming and renewal of statues, signs, and symbols on UFS campuses
2016-08-25

 

The leadership of the University of the Free State (UFS) is issuing a Call for the renaming and renewal of statues, signs, and symbols on the three campuses to staff, students, and alumni.

In line with the founding statement and guidelines of the Naming Committee of Council, The Call will seek to retain the best representations of the history and identity of the UFS over more than a century, while committing to the transformation imperatives of our new democracy so that the totality of statues, signs, and symbols give credence to both the past and the future, all in line with the values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

Submissions should be made to the
SSSC between 21 July 2016 and 31 August 2016.
Proposals can be delivered to the
office of the Director: Communication and
Brand Management at Room 49,
Main Building, Bloemfontein Campus, or
via email to sssc@ufs.ac.za.

The ‘Guiding Principles’ of the Naming Committee, approved by Council on 8 March 2013, are transformation, reconciliation, excellence, distinctiveness, leadership, comprehensiveness, balance and sensitivity. The Policy of the UFS on Naming and Renaming is available here: http://bit.ly/2aeTLUz; and the Remit of the Naming Committee of the UFS is available here: http://bit.ly/29NXESC.

The Call will give special attention to creative submissions from staff, students, and alumni, such as signs and symbols that reflect our entangled past and place rival memories in critical conversation. Whatever is proposed, our commitment to the Academic Project and the Human Project remain foundations on which inspirational proposals could be based. In the end, a campus that is richly diverse, inclusive, and just in its symbolic infrastructure, would give visible meaning to the university’s commitment to social justice and reconciliation.

All submissions should be made to the Statues, Signs, and Symbols Committee (SSSC) between 21 July 2016 and 31 August 2016. Proposals could be delivered in hard copy to the office of the Director: Communication and Brand Management at Room 49, Main Building, Bloemfontein Campus or via email to sssc@ufs.ac.za.

Proposals will be reviewed by the SSSC, which is a subcommittee of the Naming Committee.

Final proposals will be submitted to Council for consideration at its final meeting of the 2016 academic year. In other words, new statues, symbols and signs – those approved by Council – will be implemented from January 2017.

Submissions could include, but are not limited to, the following: the renaming of streets and buildings; the proposal of new statues and other symbols on campus; the renewal of artwork collections; the reconfiguration of existing statues and symbols; the introduction of memorial gardens; the instatement of new galleries, sculptures, and literary collections; the establishment of prominent academic chairs or annual academic lectures in the name of illustrious figures, etc. Particular attention should be given to new buildings in the process of being built, such as residences.

Finally, it is important that the views and recommendations of all staff, students, and alumni be considered in submissions and that every campus citizen, past and present, has a sense of being able to participate fully and freely in the process.

Released by: Lacea Loader (Director: Communication and Brand Management)
Tel: +27 51 401 3422/2707 or +27 83 645 2454
Email: news@ufs.ac.za | loaderl@ufs.ac.za
Fax: +27 51 444 6393

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