Name: Rethabile (Thabie) Lechesa
Job Title: Vice President of Advocacy
Email: gsa-advocacy@uwaterloo.ca
Job description: This role leads and supports the advancement of the GSA’s mission of enhancing graduate students’ experience by promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion overseeing the programs and initiatives planned for advising, equity, labour, and housing among others.
Meet Thabie:
Born and raised in the beautiful mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, I moved to Brussels, Belgium with my diplomatic family where I lived for 2 years. I then spent 8 years in the USA where I studied for my BS and MS and later started my career at the NIH in scientific research. I later moved to South Africa and transitioned into a career in the pharmaceutical industry where I spent 16 years working for different multinational companies. I moved to Canada in the Fall of 2023 to pursue a PhD in Kinesiology with my family. I’m married with two children. I enjoy exercising, traveling with my family, cooking and gardening. To date, I have visited 25 countries and still wish to visit more! I am also an indoor “plant mama”. I am passionate about health.
If you were to choose your superpower, what would it be?
House-cleaning powers!
If you could spend the rest of your life doing only one thing, what would it be?If you could spend the rest of your life doing only one thing, what would it be?
Growing plants.
What characteristic of yours do you think will be most utilised in your role at GSA-UW?
My communication and client relationship skills.