Lindsey Sadie wasn’t sure if she would be able to attend university and achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. She grew up with her single mother, in a neighborhood known for violence and drug use. At a very young age, Lindsey decided that she was on a different path.
Today, Lindsey is among the first medical doctors to graduate from the Dell Young Leaders program. We believe our Dell Young Leaders have an incredible wealth of knowledge to share with us about their experiences so that we can continue to improve the way we help students make it to and through university. Lindsey is no exception. She helped us shape the program by providing insightful feedback, particularly in sharing the specific challenges students in the health sciences programs face, and how we can best support them.
For Lindsey, being a Dell Young Leader means overcoming adversity and enabling others by leading by example. She hopes she can inspire young people to pursue medical studies. As Lindsey says, “I am because of others, and others are because of me.”
Meet Lindsey, a young leader in South Africa.
Transcript
Lindsey Sadie: I’m Lindsay Sadie, and I graduated as a doctor from the University of Cape Town. And I’m part of the first set of doctors to graduate from the Dell Young Leaders Program. I grew up with a single mother, and I grew up in Steenberg, which is a colored community on the Cape Flats. Growing up is Steenberg, as a young individual, one is subjected to gangsterism, violence, and drug abuse. At a very young age, I thought this is not what I wanted. I wanted more for myself, my family, and my mother.
Getting to university was quite overwhelming, and also having to get used to the resources available to me at university. So it was quite challenging coming from where I came from. Being awarded the Dell Young Leader Scholarship changed my university course. I would not have got through the six years if it wasn’t for the support I got from the program. One important thing that I learned as a Dell Young leader is that I am because of others, and others are because of me. And as a doctor, I’m trying to inspire my patients, trying to uplift them within their communities. And hopefully, I can inspire a young child to be a doctor one day as well. And I know that I can make a difference within the public healthcare system.