You don ’ t have to go it alone , and other lessons for life From the foundational wisdom of her parents , who protected her as a child growing up in Tembisa township , to the many supportive people she met on her MBA , Lyneth Zungu , who heads up the MBA programme at Henley Business School Africa , shares some life lessons and inspirations . I grew up in Tembisa , a township in Ekurhuleni . It ’ s a previously disadvantaged area , and the people who live there have much to endure , yet they don ’ t stop smiling . There ’ s a lot to love about Tembisa – it ’ s diverse and multicultural , filled with friendly people , but it ’ s still a difficult place for a young girl to grow up . There is crime , drugs , alcohol abuse , peer pressure and a high rate of teenage pregnancy . But I had God , and I had my family to protect me . My family is my rock , and my parents are my role models . They encouraged me , guided me , and clapped for me . I may not always have listened to their wisdom , but they are always there for me . My mom is a teacher and she made me and my brothers focus on our studies , instilling in us the importance of an education . My dad has always been my biggest cheerleader and I cherish that to this day . Their love and support have helped me get to where I am today despite the challenges of life in a township , and I will always be deeply grateful to them . I believe in disconnecting from the world from time to time to be with the ones you love . My husband and I take our two sons , aged 11 and 15 , hiking every second Saturday . It ’ s a good way to get the boys off their phones and we get to experience nature and reconnect with each other , which was impossible while I was studying . Our next adventure is golf . My youngest son is keen , so I ’ ve signed us up for lessons , and all that ’ s left is to convince the other two family members that it ’ s a good idea ! My greatest personal achievement is getting an education , which has opened so many doors for me . I love acquiring knowledge , learning new skills and developing myself , which helped enormously when I was doing my MBA . On the career front , being appointed Head of MBA at Henley is a highlight . It ’ s an extremely prestigious degree and nothing is more important to us than making sure our students succeed . Together with my team , I get to mentor , coach and guide our students . My role includes everything from ensuring that the classes run smoothly to making sure students ’ on-campus experience is a good one and that they know how to access the many support structures we have in place at Henley . I was given the opportunity to run the MBA programme during the pandemic , but only as acting head of the department . It was about a year and a half later that my appointment was made permanent . I remember the announcement was made on my birthday , which was a great gift . I had big shoes to fill and was anxious about juggling my new role with my studies – I hadn ’ t finished my own MBA at the time – and my family . But the remarkable Henley team rallied around me and put my fears to bed .