How do you feel about making the top 30 of The Insurance Apprentice?
Sasha: I am extremely excited to be part of such an amazing competition. I feel privileged to be chosen to participate as the quality of candidates is very high.
Lenna: I’m super excited and pleased that they picked me out of 240 applications. It means I’m on the right track.
Vusi: It feels great. I never really understood the gravity of it all until I realised that so many people had entered; I think the number was over 200. Anyway, I’m very happy to have made it this far, and look forward to competing.
Samantha: I’m super-chuffed. Honestly, I was very surprised to have made it to the next round due to the sheer number of applicants, and am really proud to have made it this far. The competition is very tough this year so whether I make it to the next round or not, I’m so grateful for the opportunity.
What motivated you to enter the competition?
Sasha: I have a very strong support system of people that I work with at Hollard. They have been pushing me to enter for the last two years now. I also wanted to be challenged and thought that if I step out of my comfort zone, I would learn more.
Lenna: I’m super excited and pleased that they picked me out of 240 applications. It means I’m on the right track.
Vusi: For me, It was a simple case of a platform to showcase my talents, to measure myself not only against myself and my standards but also against my peers in the insurance industry.
Samantha: I had only briefly considered entering when the applications opened. It wasn’t until my work colleagues told me I had to, that I finally just decided, ‘’What do I have to lose?’’ and entered. I’m glad I did. I have already met some fantastic like-minded young people in the industry, and I look forward to forging great relationships with these talented individuals in the future.
What would it mean for you to be the Insurance Apprentice?
Sasha: It would mean that all that I have worked for in the last 11 years was worth every moment, in achieving my successful career in the insurance industry.
Lenna: This platform on its own will enable me to test my strengths and explore my points of development, and further guide me in my quest to be a key catalyst for enduring positive change.
Vusi: It would mean a great deal to me. Becoming the Insurance apprentice would stack right up there with some of my greatest achievements, if not the greatest.
Samantha: Being able to take home the title of the Insurance Apprentice 2018 AND walk away with the life-changing opportunity of experiencing Lloyd’s first-hand, would be nothing short of phenomenal!
What is your idea of success?
Sasha: My idea of success is believing that you are capable of reaching beyond your wildest dreams.
Lenna: For me, success is bringing a whole lot of people with me to the top because I believe that we become better human beings when we raise together – what is success if you’re up there alone? It must be very lonely and cold.
Vusi: My idea of success is not limited to any single thing or defining event. I believe people measure success in different ways, and I would consider myself successful if I actually achieved what I set out to do – on a daily basis, whether it be personal aspirations or professional ones. I take the small wins because they stack up over time.
Samantha: The world’s perception of success is a fancy car and a nice big house, but for me, success is more of a personal, internal goal. Maya Angelou defined success as “liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it’’, and that’s a definition I try to live by. I don’t ever want to be anyone but the best version of myself.
What is your greatest quality?
Sasha: Patience.
Lenna: I have a BIG and soft heart which enables me to have empathy – which a lot of people take for granted, not knowing that we are in the empathy business.
Vusi: I think one of my natural attributes is that I try to approach things differently from how they were done before. Even though I am not correct all the time, I like to find a “fresh” way of figuring things out. I believe that has been my greatest quality, as it has helped me to question almost everything I have come across; as a result, I have been able to learn and understand things quickly.
Samantha: The name Samantha means “she who listens’’. I would like to think my greatest quality is being the person people are able to talk to and approach easily.
What talent would you most like to have?
Sasha: I would like to be an actress.
Lenna: The ability to influence and motivate people (mostly youth) without resorting to scare tactics (emotional blackmail).
Vusi: There’s one thing that I’ve always dreamed of being great at, and that’s playing tennis. I fell in love with the sport in the Roger Federer years and always admired how talented he was, how he set himself apart from the rest and made it look so simple!
Samantha: I am hopeless in the kitchen. I would love, love, love to be able to bake beautiful cakes and pastries, etc. – but I’m useless. My poor kids always have store-bought cakes for their birthdays! I will just keep trying!
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sasha: My idea of perfect happiness is living in a house on the beach.
Lenna: Happiness is when you are comfortable with what and who you are at any given point in time – because then you, in turn, allow others to be themselves.
Vusi: Ah, happiness, I don’t think perfect happiness is attainable. I think people get to a point where they are content, and once they have found something they truly derive joy from, they should never let it go, be it, family, a career or any other thing. I think that’s the closest one can get to “perfect” happiness.
Samantha: I think we need to choose to be happy with where we are in life so, for me, happiness would be a personal decision. If we aren’t happy with where we are, we need to change something – it’s as simple as that!
Which living person do you admire the most and why?
Sasha: My mom and dad: both taught me to the true value of working hard for what I want.
Lenna: Julius Malema. He speaks his mind (or what most of us think but don’t say a lot of the time).
Vusi: I do not have any particular person, but I admire people who have had a big impact in the space they are in. I am a big fan of sports and draw a lot of inspiration from sports personalities, people such as Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Cristiano Ronaldo, just to name a few. I think these people have had a significant impact on their respective fraternities and have done a lot to uplift and raise the stature of their respective sporting codes.
Samantha: My mom, Debbie. I’m a mom to two young boys (Aiden is three and Alex is 17 months), and having my own children has opened my eyes to just how much my mom has done for me and how much she sacrificed for her children. She is my own personal rock star!
What is your favourite thing to do?
Sasha: My favourite thing to do is lie on the beach with good music in my ears, looking into the beautiful ocean waves, while my son searches for treasures in the sand.
Lenna: Bathe my seven-month-old son (Ongama is his name).
Vusi: Spending time with my two-year-old daughter. We play, we dance, we eat, we sing, we sleep and also change some nappies (that’s mostly me). There are other things that I do, but that certainly takes the cake for me.
Samantha: I love kicking back on the weekends and enjoying some downtime with my kids and hubby. My boys are busy boys and love to be outdoors, so as long as it’s outdoors and there is wine – I’m game.
What is your motto in life?
Sasha: You only live once. YOLO
Lenna: Get rich or die trying. $$$$$
Vusi: Learn how things work, so you can make them work for you.
Samantha: Be yourself. Everybody else is already taken.
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