Brains, heart and healing hands

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars," a quote by Norman Peale, is a favourite of medical student Tuilika Tumangulula Andreas (24).In a world where the title of 'doctor' may sound like success enough, Andreas raises the bar by not only saving lives but also making an impact on her community.With her love for philanthropy and helping young people, she seeks to transform lives through her two co-founded organisations – Dear Girl Namibia and Purposeful Camp Namibia – which focus on restoration and connecting fellow young people to opportunities.Andreas, originally from Walvis Bay, has just completed six years of medical school, which began in 2019 at Unam's School of Medicine. As she eagerly awaits her graduation day, she is currently completing an internship and hopes to pursue further studies in public health or internal medicine.A life of dedication Andreas has achieved a number of achievements in her life so far. Before she started her medical studies at Unam, Andreas was awarded an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Bursary in 2018 to pursue studies in biomedical engineering at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.However, she chose to pursue medicine instead. With her love for knowledge acquisition and lifelong learning, becoming a doctor deeply resonated with her, she said. “I realised that it might be the only field that will give me the opportunity to help people just with my skill set, even without financial capacity.”While attending Duinesig High School, Andreas received the Dux Learner award and special recognition for student leadership in 2018.During her student years, she won the Miss Unam title in 2019 and served as vice president of the Medical Campus in 2022.Leading a full life Juggling a heavy workload, constant deadlines and a demanding routine, Andreas has to balance a personal life and her pursuits of being a doctor.She says she frequently reminds herself of her dream and the fulfilment it will bring. When the doctor-in-waiting isn't assisting consultants with research, saving lives and serving her community, Andreas also runs her brand, POIEMA, creating and selling Christian-themed apparel and stationery.She also nurtures her love for cooking, listening to good music and working out.Andreas says initially, she was torn between science and commerce. However, she knew that whatever she ended up doing, it had to somehow be connected to working directly with people and impacting lives from the ground up.Her advice to others: “You may not have all the characteristics required for the field, but the beauty of the process is that if you are malleable, you will acquire all of them on the way.”

Brains, heart and healing hands

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-11

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Brains, heart and healing hands

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-11

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