My journey on how I became a part of RX Radio is actually a funny story. I never saw myself on radio, but getting the opportunity to be a part of the station is definitely the best thing that has happened to me. After receiving a kidney transplant in 2015 that was crucial in allowing me to remain active and eat healthy, I had come back to hospital in 2016 for a check up and my mom had told my physiotherapist that I had started dancing again, joined the schools drama club and during the year I planned to take up badminton as a sport. She was really impressed and told my mom that since I was interested in drama, I should join the new radio station downstairs. I had no idea that this encounter was the starting point to what seems to be a very bright future for myself.
I was introduced to the RX Radio team – which, at that time was Dr Gabriel Urgoiti (the Station Manager at the time), Yolie (Senior Content Producer and now the new Station Manager), Wayne (Producer) and Ramabina (Project Officer at the time). The team had asked me to introduce myself and they had explained the idea of RX Radio. Gabs had asked if I would like to join and I respectfully refused as I had seen myself being a more active person in dancing and drama – plus, I felt that my field of study in the future would have been computer science and not media. However, RX Radio had a trick up their sleeve and they asked if I wanted to see the studio. I was curious as I had never seen a radio station before. After Wayne showed me the studio, I was taken by surprise as I had a love for technology and all the equipment caught my eye – it was as if this room was calling me to it. Yet I was still unsure… until Wayne put on the music and from that moment I decided to give it a shot because I have a passion for music and dance.
I took part in the week of Basic Training and I remember we were asked who was our favourite radio presenter. I told them that I really enjoyed Carl Wastie and how insane that a few years later I got to be interviewed by the man himself on his show The Flash Drive on Kfm? The training taught us how to use our voices, conduct interviews and speak on air. My final task was to produce a radio diary where I spoke about myself and my illness, and I interviewed my mother as well as Professor Mignon about my condition Cystinosis.
Soon after the training I was given the opportunity of hosting my own show. My show was called Completely Random as I have a passion for many things and various topics grab my attention, so I decided to implement this aspect of my versatility into my show. We were allowed to construct our own scripts, choose the music and our interviewees. This equiped me with the background knowledge of what goes into developing a show: building a skeleton outline and you filling it in by presenting the show, interviewing guests and bringing everything to life.
After being a part of the station for 3 years, I decided to focus on myself in the year of 2019 as I was not sure of what my next step would be. Therefore I joined a dance crew/organisation where I performed and also taught dance and drama to the kids at the local primary school and I later became one of the physical education coaches at the school. 2019 had become the year where I excelled at RX Radio – not only as a presenter but also as a journalist, public speaker, MC and leader. I had been given the opportunity of being an apprentice, board member and doing a presentation in front of President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, as amazing as this might seem, the icing on the cake was when RX Radio chose me to represent them at an international conference in London with members of The Committee on the Rights of the Child to discuss children’s rights on the internet. It was a two day conference with experts from around the world that specialised in different fields. The points raised from the many discussions during the conference ended up contributing to the General Comment on children’s rights on the internet. The trip to London will always be one my biggest achievements because I have never travelled to another country and I had no idea that it would be so soon in my life.
Last year was a very difficult year for everyone as we all had to deal with COVID. It had been really hard to keep in touch with RX Radio as I had to adjust to a lot. However, thanks to Alex (RX Radio Reporter) and the accessibility of cellphones, RX Radio was still able to broadcast live shows from Alex’s home. It was difficult to participate consistantly during this time, as I had been busy with my first year of University – but on certain occassions I was able to contribute to the shows WhatsApp voice notes. The 5Rights Foundation had also gotten in touch with me asking me to be one of their key speakers for a webinar where I would discuss my contribution to last year’s conference in London.
This year I have decided to pursue my dream with all my heart no matter what. Not only am I completing my second year of studying Communication Science at UNISA but I have also started my own Instagram page, made motivational videos and have recorded content for RX Radio at home. The year has just started but my momentum keeps increasing. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me and the radio station.
I would like to thank RX Radio for contuining to be patient with me, encouraging me and guiding me when needed. I owe so much to the station for helping me discover my talents and they have nutured me in my growth and giving me opportunities that I could only dream of. From them, I have not only learnt the skills of presenting a show, but I have also learnt how to be a journalist, content creator, script writer, music compiler, MC, public speaker and so much more. I have always been confident and great at communicating and networking with people, but RX Radio has just elevated these traits of mine to a point where I can’t even measure.
I’m 100% sure that my calling is in media and entertainment and if not for radio, I would have kept on denying it. Even in the future when I should decide to leave RX Radio and move on to another platform, I will never truly be able to leave, because it has become my foundation and it is now part of my identity. I would encourage every single parent out there to get their child involved in RX Radio even if they don’t want to pursue a career in media. It will definitely change their life forever.
