For many Melton Fellows, the impact of GCLP doesn’t end when the program does it continues to shape the work they build, the collaborations they seek out, and the way they see their role in creating change. We caught up with Thembani Ngwenya to hear how her GCLP experience has evolved into a lasting commitment to social impact.
The GCLP Effect?
Looking back, the impact of the GCLP program on me has extended far beyond the program itself. It changed the way I think about problems, the way I understand my role in creating change, and, perhaps most importantly, the kinds of people and ideas I choose to work with.
What changed because of the GCLP (MF)?
One of the most meaningful experiences during my time as a Melton Fellow was working with Trueman Mabumbo, also a Melton Fellow, on a sign-language education project under EduTecX, an initiative he had started. Together, we developed sign language educational content to make STEM education more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Ghana. This experience showed me that social problems could be approached not only through advocacy but also through creativity, technology, and engineering. More importantly, it taught me the value of collaboration and of bringing different perspectives together around a shared problem.
That experience continued to influence the work I pursued at university. I joined Ashesi’s iGEM team, where I contributed to a project addressing environmental challenges, including coastal erosion. This took me beyond the classroom and into communities affected by the problem, where we engaged with people and tried to understand the realities behind the issue we were attempting to solve. My experience had made me much more intentional about this kind of work: before trying to engineer a solution, I wanted to understand the people and communities at the center of the problem. The growth I experienced was also recognized by my university community. I was honored to receive the Ashesi President’s Award, an experience that reinforced for me that leadership is not simply about holding positions, but about using whatever skills and opportunities you have to create value for others.
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How this reflects in what I do today?
Perhaps the clearest example of Melton’s lasting influence, however, is the work I am involved in now through The ReWeave Collective, an initiative I recently started. The ReWeave Collective grew primarily out of the project group I was part of during my time as a fellow. We are working to repurpose discarded clothing into more durable and useful items while creating opportunities for young women to develop practical skills and participate in the process. What began as a project-based experience during GCLP has evolved into something I now see as part of my longer-term commitment to social impact and sustainable development.
When I think about what changed because of Melton, I don’t think there is a single achievement I can point to. Instead, there is a thread running through many of the things I have done since. Melton gave me the confidence to see myself as someone who could help solve complex problems, while also teaching me that meaningful change rarely happens in isolation. It comes from listening, collaborating, experimenting, and being willing to carry an idea beyond the original project.
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For many Melton Fellows, the impact of GCLP doesn’t end when the program does — it continues to shape the work they build, the collaborations they seek out, and the way they see their role in creating change. We caught up with one Fellow to hear how his GCLP experience has evolved into a lasting commitment to social impact.