Uatshila Munenyiwa

Uatshila Munenyiwa, a young changemaker from South Africa, has defied systemic inequality to become one of the country’s brightest rising STEM leaders. As the only South African among 100 global Rise Global Winners in 2024, she earned a place at Stanford University to study Data Science and Mechanical Engineering – fields she has been passionate about since childhood. Growing up in a low-income community with under-resourced schools, she used every obstacle as fuel, turning her curiosity into innovation.

At just 18, Uatshila has developed multiple award-winning projects addressing sanitation, energy, and security. Her first innovation, WatStemEncy, tackled water scarcity and hygiene in her school’s restrooms by integrating solar energy, diverse water sourcing, and sanitation chemicals. The system won regional awards and catalysed her next project, LumiVolt, a solar panel enhancement using mirrors and LEDs to generate power even at night. She also founded LanonTech, a security tech start-up inspired by a traumatic break-in, now recognised at the Proudly South African Summit.

Equally dedicated to educational equity, Uatshila has tutored over 50 hours a month, mentored 30+ students into fully funded scholarships, and helped underserved youth enter global competitions and programmes like Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and TechGirls. After her acceptance into Stanford, she was recruited by Project Clay to mentor aspiring US-bound applicants and now leads international guidance through her consulting start-up, Opportunities SA-I.

Beyond engineering, Uatshila fosters national change. She served as the youngest speaker at South Africa’s National Science Week, advocated for school sanitation reforms, and launched her school’s first science club – with support from the Minister of Higher Education. She also grew her school’s debate club by 900%, creating platforms for critical thinking and confidence-building.

She is also the Head of Partnerships at Stoodive, a research opportunity startup, and the Opportunities Platform, where she works as a web developer. She remains dedicated to breaking career stereotypes in her community, advocating for STEM through talks, mentorship, and hands-on support.

If Uatshila wins the Global Student Prize, she will use the funds to further their education through study abroad opportunities, books, seminars, and online course certifications, while also supporting their research in areas like AI, IoT, and robotics to address real-world problems. She will also develop LanonTech further, including building a minimum viable product, hiring a team member, and covering travel for business and personal reasons. Additionally, they plan to launch an initiative to help other students apply to university, funding the development and promotion of the necessary platforms and resources.Through resilience, innovation, and a heart for impact, Uatshila is not just changing her future – she’s building a pathway for generations to come.