When Professor Tlou Maggie Masenya was honoured with the Unisa Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Alumni in Research, it marked a significant milestone in an academic journey that began in a small village in Limpopo. The award recognises exceptional scholarship and the impact that alumni researchers make in advancing knowledge and innovation. For Masenya, it reflects years of perseverance, faith and unwavering commitment to her field.

Raised in Kgotsoro New Stands near Mokopane, she attended Makgoba Primary School and matriculated from Matsogella High School in the Bakenberg area. Growing up in a disciplined and deeply religious household, she was shaped by parents who, despite not having pursued studies beyond matric, placed immense value on education.

In 1993, she relocated to Gauteng and enrolled at the University of Pretoria in 1994. During this time, she met her husband, and together they have raised two sons and a daughter. As the first person in her family to attend university, earn a PhD and become a professor, her journey has become a source of inspiration for many young people in her home village.

Masenya holds five academic qualifications, including a PhD in Information Science from Unisa, where she specialised in digital preservation. Her academic portfolio also includes, amongst others, a master’s degree in Information Technology and a cum laude Advanced Diploma in Management Sciences from the Durban University of Technology (DUT), where she received the Dean’s Award for Best Student.

Following her doctoral studies, she was appointed as a senior lecturer in Information Science at Unisa. Her career later took her to the University of Zululand and, in 2020, to the DUT, where she currently serves as Associate Professor and Head of the IT Department. Since her appointment, she has played a key role in fostering a strong research culture. Under her leadership, the department has received recognition for its research culture, community engagement and curriculum transformation. At the same time, she has been acknowledged for producing the highest number of research outputs in her faculty in 2025.

Her scholarly contributions between 2020 and 2025 are substantial. During this period, she published 24 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored 33 book chapters and edited four academic books and two conference proceedings. She has also supervised three master’s and three doctoral students across institutions. These achievements reflect her commitment to advancing knowledge in Information Science and addressing contemporary challenges within the digital information environment.

Reflecting on her academic journey, Masenya emphasises the importance of passion, perseverance and a positive mindset. Research, she notes, is inherently challenging, particularly within an open and distance eLearning environment that requires self-discipline and independence. However, she credits this environment with strengthening her critical thinking, adaptability and resilience. Balancing academic, professional and family responsibilities, she found the experience both demanding and rewarding, ultimately shaping her into a confident and independent researcher.

She encourages postgraduate students to approach their studies with curiosity and to align their research with real-world challenges and emerging trends. Rather than pursuing qualifications solely for personal gain, she believes students should aim to make meaningful contributions to knowledge and society. She further highlights the importance of time management, setting achievable milestones and taking ownership of one’s academic journey. Recognising the isolation that can accompany distance learning, she advises students to build support networks through collaboration, mentorship and active engagement with academic communities.

For Masenya, completing a doctorate is “90% persistence and 10% brilliance”—a reminder that resilience, consistency and dedication are far more critical than perfection. She views intellectual growth as a lifelong process, driven by curiosity, creativity and the courage to think critically.

She expressed deep appreciation to Unisa for recognising her work, noting that the award affirms that dedication and hard work do not go unnoticed. Humbling and motivating, the recognition has strengthened her resolve to continue contributing to impactful research, mentorship and the advancement of knowledge in Information Science.

Masenya dedicated the award to women in academia (mbokodo), celebrating their resilience, leadership and contributions to research. As an ambassador for Unisa, she remains committed to inspiring current and future generations of scholars, demonstrating that excellence can emerge from diverse backgrounds and learning environments.

* By Cilla Boucher, Alumni Relations Officer, Unisa Foundation and Alumni Relations