Scientist Thulile Khanyile, this week’s talented young South African, talks to Shanthini Naidoo about life, youth and the future Khanyile, 28, is a lecturer and PhD candidate in the HIV pathogenesis research unit at the University of the Witwatersrand where she is working on the development of an HIV-1 vaccine.Last year, she won a Department of Science and Technology "Women in Science" award for her work on HIV-1 treatment using laser technology.story_article_left1What set you on the path you're on today?My interview for an in-service trainee position at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in October 2010. The panel was chaired by Dr Makobetsa Khati.The interview was iconic for me because the other scientists in the panel were very young PhD students, most of whom were black and/or female. As I sat there the message I got was, "this science thing is yours for the taking".I felt quite small, but very big at the same time. The PhD students were exceedingly confident and knowledgeable. I wanted to be like them, I was inspired to be greater.What does being a young South African mean to you?I see a country that achieved a lot, but which still faces major challenges. As a young South African I have benefited a great deal from these achievements.Today, there are many more opportunities for young people, especially through the opening of fields such as science to all citizens.Being a young South African means that the challenges are mine to fix. The benefits I have experienced have not been received by the majority of young people, and this needs to change.The future of the country is in my hands and I must fully equip myself. Just as sacrifices were made for the freedom I [have] today, I must make sacrifices to contribute to the economic freedom of the youth of the future South Africa.What are your favourite and least favourite things about South Africa?The diversity of cultures is among my favourites. My least favourite thing is the low level of literacy and the economic divide among our citizenship.story_article_right2What role do youth play now?The youth of South Africa stand for a wide array of societal issues, ranging from education to matters of inequality among races, genders, economic classes, and so on. I would say the youth need to fight - as they have shown they can - for the future of the country through understanding that economic freedom for all requires strategic planning and great skill.Without the planning and the skill, as the youth of today we will be remembered for protests and destruction of property. Alongside protests and demonstrations, serious dialogue must take place among the youth as to how we will get the skills and expertise to build a South Africa that our grandchildren can be proud of.Describe South African youth today in five words.Ambitious, radical, passionate, outspoken, desperate.How do you feel about your future in South Africa?I am going to have a great future. The opportunities are there for me now more than ever before and I'm ready to take them.Do you feel like a role model to others of similar age? What positive message would you like to impart to them?Many of my peers are my role models so I would like to believe that I too am a role model to them. My message is: "Failure and doubt are but a figment of the imagination, success and confidence are the only reality."..