Introducing MyPR’s New Intern Dolly Shabalala

Until someone asks them, “Who are you?” everyone believes they know who they are. If I could respond in a nutshell, I would say, “My name is Dolly Shabalala, and I am a child of God,” but unfortunately, this article requires me to write 500 words that just scratch the surface of Dolly’s personality. I’m happy though, that I had some time to consider carefully what I would say if I had to introduce Dolly to the world. To begin with, my name is Dolly Shabalala, and I am a 23-year-old woman from the KwaZulu-Natal town of Bergville. My father is Mbhekiseni Manzini, and my mother is Biziwe Shabalala.

Bethany Primary School was where I went to elementary school. Those were my happiest years, being a grown woman takes a lot of energy. After that, I attended Thokoza High School for my eighth and ninth grades before completing my final years of education at Amaphisi High School where I got a bachelor’s pass with a distinction in economics. I’m a second-year public relations student at Nelson Mandela University, and Mr. Alan Straton has given me this amazing opportunity to work as an intern at My Press Release. I’ve always been interested in learning new things and expanding my knowledge. I find excitement in activities like reading books, participating in thought-provoking conversations, and watching or listening to podcasts. I have the ideal opportunity to learn more and absorb more wisdom with this internship. That is my main motivation above everything else, as Mr. Alan would say, “Knowledge not only makes you money, but it also gives you power.”

According to Paulo Coelho, “Life is about seeking your personal legend” In his book The Alchemist, life is all about navigating personal growth and development.

Who happens to be you at the end of the book, and that’s precisely what I live for. I value education and exposure to the things that enable me to live the life I want to live because I want to be the best version of myself. My background is hopeless, therefore everything I do is an attempt to convince myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. Above all, though, I do it to highlight to those with comparable backgrounds to mine that they also have a chance to rewrite the story of their lives and turn it into exactly what they want it to be. I believe in changing the narrative of people dwelling in the past and letting it define who they are. My life experiences moulded me to become who I am, but they do not define me. I am who I want to be, I get to decide the life I want to lead and that is determined by the choices I make now. I seek to be the best version of myself and that requires grabbing any learning opportunity I come across and being open to being fully invested and excelling in any environment I am in.