Grit is defined by Angela Duckworth as an unusual resilience and the ability to stick it out in the face of challenges. It is what separates extraordinary people from ordinary ones. Researchers today reveal that talent and risk-taking are not adequate to succeed if one quits too soon. In the story of Nkosana Masuku, this is made evident.
Grit is defined by Angela Duckworth as an unusual resilience and the ability to stick it out in the face of challenges. It is what separates extraordinary people from ordinary ones. Researchers today reveal that talent and risk-taking are not adequate to succeed if one quits too soon. In the story of Nkosana Masuku, this is made evident.
Nkosana is only 25 years old but his successes are celebrated in the country and beyond. He was nominated among the Junior Chamber International (JCI) top 10 outstanding young people in Zimbabwe and top 20 finalists in the world. He won accolades including 2018 African Union top 10 education innovations, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) top 5 Tourism Tech start-ups and Creative Business Cup Zimbabwe. His organisation Phenomenon Technologies is driven to provide digitally immersive experiences in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Other people would attribute these achievements to sheer luck. However, having explored his story, it is clear that odds were against him but that did not stop him.
A Teaching Profession In Zimbabwe Is Among The Least Financially Rewarding Careers.
At a tender age, Nkosana lost both his parents and was raised by his grandmother in Bulawayo. Financial constraints in the family led him to train as a teacher at Hillside Teachers College instead of progressing to university with his peers. His interest in Science led him to specialise in Physics and Chemistry after which he was deployed to Lubhangwe Secondary School in Matobo district in 2017. A teaching profession in Zimbabwe is among the least financially rewarding careers, particularly when working for the government. Nkosana did not view his situation as the end of the road but a means by which he was going to pay for his university tuition. He kept believing that his situation was going to change even if it was going to take time.
His Students Started Experiencing Simulated Field Excursions.
Having been thrust in a rural setting without basic amenities and infrastructure, Nkosana was also faced with unmotivated students. It was cumbersome for him to explain basic scientific concepts to the rural students who lacked exposure and had never travelled beyond their villages. Ordinary people would complain about the situation and leave it as it is. However, the young Nkosana sought ways to improve the situation for the students. As a technology fanatic he purchased VR headsets to experiment with. His students started experiencing simulated field excursions using the headsets and content from Youtube.
Around that time in 2018, the African Union called for innovations in education and he submitted a proposal citing the work he was doing. To his surprise, he was accepted and participated in Senegal as one of the 50 African innovators and won a US$4 000 cash price. This was a life transforming point and going forward doors started opening. Upon his return from Senegal, Nkosana registered Phenomenon Technologies and started working on his first product FundoVR. FundoVR took the concept of using VR for field excursions. It was a bold move to introduce such a novel idea of VR considering the low technology adoption rate in Zimbabwe. It could have been an excuse to give it up but Nkosana was determined to carry the idea forward.
Sciency Is A Portable Science Laboratory That Uses Augmented Reality To Provide Interactive Experiences
About 200 schools signed up for the FundoVR technology but that was not without challenges. Scaling of FundoVR has been slow since it requires every student to have the requisite gear. Fortunately, Nkosana managed to apply for the Google for Start-ups Accelerator Program in 2019. Phenomenon Technologies became the first Zimbabwean technology team to be accepted into the program. This gave birth to a new product, Sciency, to be launched soon. Sciency can be described as a portable Science laboratory that uses augmented reality to provide interactive experiences and can be accessed on smartphones. It can be described as a portable laboratory that gives students access to thousands of Science 3D models without having to use VR headsets.
What gives him an edge above other innovators is that he has an intimate knowledge of the secondary education sector. His products solve problems that he has experienced as an educator. Sciency follows the IGSCE (Cambridge) curriculum and can be subscribed to by thousands of schools in Africa and beyond. The business model creates sustainable revenue inflows, part of which are intended to fund the FundoVR experiences to the less privileged students. Issues of funding are not his focus at the present moment, he prefers getting the product on the market, having it tested then seek funding for the expansion of the business.
Grit Is What Can Make Young People Persevere
In Nkosana’s perspective, Phenomenon Technologies will be a global organisation considering the business model that it adopted. He is grateful to the mentors at Google, his co-founder Nhlanhla Sibanda and the rest of the team for making the journey easier due to their commitment to the organisation. He is inspired by Elon Musk, one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world. Nkosana encourages other young people to have grit because it is what will make them persevere through all the challenges that will come along the way.
