I have long been fascinated by young South Africans who make it big on a world stage. So I am intrigued by a child of Soweto who rises to the top of the American comedy scene as he takes over hosting the award-winning The Daily Show from the legendary Jon Stewart. More than one major news source came close to saying something akin to, "but he's not from here; he's South African".I am astounded that a quiet, humble girl from Volksrust stepped onto a London stage and claimed the Miss World crown. I am deeply moved by a young woman from Bloemfontein with Down Syndrome, who not only became the first person with the disability to gain a tertiary qualification, but travelled across the waters to become an ambassador for Down Syndrome International.What is it about these people, with markedly different personalities, that helps them rise above their circumstances? I have followed the careers of these three young people because of a strong sense that if we understand how this small sample can evolve into such great achievers there might be lessons for teaching and mentoring that could help thousands of young South Africans make the same leap to greatness.This is what I found so far: The first thing about them is that they are ambitious. It is a word that in our country can mean something negative, an overachiever, somebody who does not know their place. To be called ambitious in some circles is to be the target of a snide remark.A combination of religious malfunction and colonial reserve leads to a false humility, misplaced contentment and debilitating restraint.These young people, on the other hand, set their horizons for achieving beyond familiar borders. Trevor is bolder than the other two in making this ambition explicit: "I've always wanted to be a comedian in the world. I don't want to be labelled a South African comedian."But make no mistake, Sheri Brynard and Rolene Strauss contain that same strong ambition to compete and be visible on the global scene.What also makes these three succeed across the world is that they are really, really good at one thing. Trevor is one of the best comedians I have encountered and he works night and day to perfect his craft. His repertoire of comedy acts is mind-boggling and always convincing. This must take hours of practice every day.Rolene wanted to become a beauty queen since she was a little girl and invested many, many hours in refining the combination of skills and attributes - higher education, physical grooming, likeability, communication, cross-cultural competence - that are required to rise to the top.Sheri knows that she has a powerful message of hope that resonates across borders - to be able to turn a visible disadvantage into a unique opportunity to demonstrate resilience and recovery against all odds. With the aid of her mother she works hard to present her message in slower but fluent speech that, in fact, elevates the feel-good story of living victoriously with Down Syndrome.Do not for one moment be fooled by their easy stage presence; they worked hard to gain the attention of the world.These three achievers did not simply walk onto a world stage. They made mistakes. Who can forget how Rolene stumbled over a judge's question in her first Miss South Africa contest and lost? She took a year out and came back to win. Lesser beings would have bowed out and not put themselves through the ordeal again, but she did.Long before Trevor became famous, he was working the South African television and comedy scene before he was really noticed. There were frustrations and misjudgments all the time. But all three would not waver from the goal they set. Nobody walks straight into fame - you mess up and make up.And, finally, none of them succumbed to victimhood. Trevor had every reason in a biracial family torn apart by apartheid misery to give up and blame the system. Sheri had more excuses than anyone to fall back on a disability she was born with. Rolene could have remained trapped in her rural upbringing. But their ambition to become great, their focus on doing one thing well, and their willingness to err took them where few young people ever land - to the top of the world...