​"During my childhood, my father told me interesting things, such as how clouds are formed. He always explained the most ordinary things from a scientific point of view and I found that so interesting!" says Madelein Louw. With an average of 89.92% she was the recipient of the Engineering Council of South Africa's (ECSA)  medal of merit awarded annually to the Matie Engineering student with the best average over four years of study.

"Even during my early years at school, I had a great love for mathematics and science. Later, I discovered that engineering offers the best and most exciting profession in that field," she explains.

"I chose industrial engineering, because I like to lead a team. I also like optimising everything or doing it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I am really annoying in that regard! I realised that my natural driving force is actually something which makes industrial engineers invaluable."

To what does she attribute her success that she was awarded this prestigious medal? She replies: "I am a bit of an over-achiever and battle to do something only half measure. This has helped me a lot. I also learned through my study career to maintain good time management. I have always tried to make time for friends, family, sports and relaxation. I realised early: the more you have to do, the more you get done. It was also good to have something nice to do now and then, such as mountain climbing or cycling, as this made my studying so much more productive. During the four years at Stellenbosch I did the Argus as well as the 947 cycling races and climbed as many mountains in the Western Cape as possible. The fact that I had good support from family and friends and was happy, also helped a lot. You cannot work or learn if you are unhappy!"

Madelein's advice to first-year students is: "Invest enough time in your relationships, health and relaxation. Balance is the answer. Any bad thing or time is always temporary. Do not ever compare yourself with others. There will always be someone better or smarter than you are. Just give your best, and if you happen to come first or second, it is a bonus."

Madelein is currently working at Sasol in Secunda. She is really enjoying her new job. "It is really nice here, not as bad as some predicted! I am fortunate that I received a bursary from Sasol and am now included in Sasol's Graduate Development Program." She says that the skills she needs, and is learning along the way, are interpersonal relationships, effective acquisition of relevant information and good basic logic. "I am really being challenged and I am learning a lot," she concludes.

Photo: Madelein Louw, ECSA Medal winner.