“Ms Tshenolo Mashaba, a VUT Civil Engineering lecturer and researcher, reflects on achieving an 80% average and receiving a Chancellor’s Academic Excellence Award while balancing postgraduate studies, motherhood and academia.”
22 September 2026 | Story by: Sadiki Siphiwe | Picture: Keitumetse Mokgope
For Ms Tshenolo Mabothokgong Mashaba, academic excellence is about far more than marks and qualifications. It is about perseverance, purpose and the determination to keep moving forward despite life’s many demands.
The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) lecturer, researcher and engineer recently graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Civil Engineering, achieving an impressive 80% average and earning a Chancellor’s Academic Excellence Award as the top student in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology’s postgraduate diploma category.
Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Ms Mashaba has built a career that combines engineering practice, teaching and research while also embracing her roles as a wife and mother of two young boys.
“I am an engineer, an academic, a researcher, a lecturer, a wife and a mother of two young boys. Balancing these different parts of my life has not always been easy, but they have also given my academic journey a much deeper sense of purpose,” she said.
Originally from Lebowakgomo in Limpopo, Ms Mashaba’s passion for civil engineering stems from its ability to create tangible change in communities. Her interests have expanded into sustainable construction materials and research that addresses environmental and social challenges.
“VUT has given me the space to explore the intersection between engineering practice, research and teaching, and that has significantly shaped the direction I now see my career taking,” she explained.
Receiving the Chancellor’s Academic Excellence Award was especially meaningful because it recognised an achievement accomplished while juggling postgraduate studies, research commitments, teaching responsibilities and motherhood.
“Receiving it is incredibly meaningful, particularly because academic achievement at this stage of my life exists alongside so many other responsibilities,” she said.
“There were lectures to prepare, students who needed me, research deadlines, work commitments and, at the end of every day, two little boys who simply needed their mother.”
For Ms Mashaba, the award symbolises resilience and consistency rather than a single academic result.
“This award represents more than a final academic result. It represents consistency. It represents the quiet work done when nobody is watching, the late nights, the difficult days and the decision to keep going even when life is already full,” she said.
One of her biggest challenges was starting her postgraduate studies while caring for a newborn baby and managing her responsibilities as a lecturer and researcher.
“I started my PGD with a newborn baby and that had challenges on its own, but I had to keep reminding myself of the end goal,” she said.
Instead of waiting for ideal circumstances, she learned to succeed within the realities of her life.
“There was never going to be a season where everything else stopped so that I could focus exclusively on studying. I had to learn to work with the life I actually had.”
She credits her family, colleagues, lecturers, supervisors and mentors for supporting her throughout the journey.
Among her greatest inspirations is her grandmother, a widowed mother of four children whose determination expanded the opportunities available to her family.
“My grandmother has changed my understanding of ambition. She was a widowed mother of four children and yet she managed to take us all to unexpected heights. We all got opportunities to further our studies, and she was a well of hope that never ran dry when some days were heavy,” Ms Mashaba reflected.
Her two sons have also become a powerful source of motivation.
“My boys increased the horizons I thought were possible. I knew I could work hard, but I didn’t know to what extent,” she said.
As a lecturer, she believes her own pursuit of excellence strengthens her ability to inspire students.
“Standing in front of students constantly reminds me that I cannot ask them for discipline, curiosity and excellence if I am unwilling to demand the same from myself.”
Her aspirations align closely with VUT’s Strategy 2033+, particularly its focus on innovation, sustainable development and socio-economic impact. She hopes to
contribute through research that produces practical solutions for engineering and environmental challenges while helping to develop future engineers.
“My aspirations extend strongly into research, academia and sustainable civil engineering. I want to contribute meaningful research, develop practical engineering solutions and help train the next generation of engineers,” she said.
Being recognised during the year in which VUT celebrates its 60th anniversary has given the achievement even greater significance.
“To have my own academic journey recognised during that milestone makes the award feel like both a personal achievement and a small place in a much larger story,” she said.
As she continues her Master’s studies and advances her academic career, Ms Mashaba remains committed to using engineering, research and teaching to create meaningful impact.
Her message to students is simple yet powerful:
“Do not wait for your circumstances to become perfect before you take yourself seriously.”
For Ms Mashaba, excellence is not about perfection. It is about consistently choosing to improve, even when the path is challenging.
Her story is one of perseverance, motherhood, professional growth and academic achievement. It demonstrates that success is not determined by ideal circumstances, but by the courage to pursue meaningful goals and the discipline to keep going. As VUT marks six decades of transforming lives through education, Ms Mashaba’s journey stands as an inspiring example of excellence driven by purpose.