Sixteen years after graduating from Mountview Secondary School (MVSS), accomplished mechanical engineer and alumnus Sashnee Naicker-Kistan is reflecting on the lasting impact the school has had on her personal and professional journey.
Naicker-Kistan, who matriculated in 2010 and now leads Heineken’s Data Science Chapter, said the values and opportunities she received at MVSS laid the foundation for her success.
“Hardly a chapter in my life has unfolded without MVSS’s fingerprints on it. So much of how I live, lead and think began there,” she said.
She recalled entering university and later working alongside people from more privileged backgrounds, expecting to feel out of place. Instead, she found that the education she received at MVSS had prepared her just as well as any other school.
“At university, and later in boardrooms alongside people from more privileged beginnings, I expected to feel out of place, but I never once did. MVSS’s education stood shoulder to shoulder with any in the country, delivered by teachers who sacrificed far beyond their duty to prepare learners for the world, not just examinations,” she said.
Reflecting on her school years, Naicker-Kistan said MVSS was a place where academics, creativity and community service went hand in hand.
“What a world MVSS was. From provincial debates and speech contests to commemorative days reimagined with creative flair, MJ’s Thriller and all, every moment carried creativity that was unmistakably MVSS. True to that spirit, our food and blanket drives taught us that community meant looking out for those beyond our gates,” she said.
She also fondly remembered the excitement of 2010, when South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup.
“Then came 2010, the World Cup on home soil, vuvuzelas rattling the nation, and MVSS teachers throwing down the gauntlet with a staff versus learner soccer match. It was a year where anything felt possible. So, when I chose engineering, a field where young women were still few, I was never made to doubt that I belonged, but only encouraged to go for it,” she said.
Naicker-Kistan believes the balance between academic excellence and self-expression at MVSS gave learners the confidence to pursue ambitious goals.
“MVSS gave me my compass, teaching me that excellence and humanity are not opposites but partners and that the surest way to grow is to work relentlessly, stay grounded and practise genuine respect. Those values have carried me from mechanical engineering into data science and today into leading Heineken’s Data Science Chapter. Through every setback and triumph, they steady me still.”
She said what makes her proud to be an MVSS alumnus is the school’s ability to produce confident, capable individuals who excel wherever they go.
“The school, rich in heart, and the community continue to produce people who can hold their own anywhere in the world and do so with grace,” she said.
Sharing a message with the current generation of learners, Naicker-Kistan encouraged them to stay true to themselves and embrace every opportunity for growth.
“Run your own race, carry yourself with humility and be courageous enough to fail, to question and to begin again. Above all, strive to leave the world better than you found it. Greatness lies not in headlines, but in the daily decision to become better than you were yesterday.”
