Mavis Elias: The New Queen’s Young Leader

At 24 years old, Mavis Elias has achieved plenty. From rising to popularity as a presenter to having two businesses under her belt, there’s no stopping this young achiever.

Just recently, she was selected to receive the highly acclaimed Queen’s Young Leader award, an honour previously bestowed upon Nyeuvo Amukushu and Hilda Liswani. Admitting that she always stays one step ahead of the others, Elias’ drive is certainly one to be inspired by. interviewed Elias on her journey.

Growing up, Elias moved around the country, living in five different towns. Elias said she was always the ‘new kid on the block’. “I did not spend more than two years at a school before moving,” she shared. She has lived in Oshakati and Windhoek, among other towns, but feels Oranjemund best describes the ‘home feel’.

“I grew up as both an introvert and an extrovert. You could say that I never really knew who I was. Once your personality mixes, it confuses you.”

Elias said she loved reading as a child, but at the same time, she loved being social and the two often contradicted each other. “I was actually deemed weird,” Elias admitted. “I was an academic, but a rebel. There was a love-hate relationship with my teachers. My personality begged to be let free. But I think the thing that stood out was always being strong academically.”

With A and B symbols on her side, Elias believed that she could achieve so much with her life. “I wanted to do something that was challenging, something that was not common and intellectually stimulating.” Although Elias said they weren’t very well informed about careers in school, she decided to break the boundaries and pursue a life in engineering.

Medicine was an option but she wasn’t too keen on dealing with blood. “I heard about what happens in engineering: You know, the course starting off with 150 people and only 10 graduating… I was like ‘that’s the one!’ With my character being somewhat girly, it looked like the unlikeliest career, but that’s why I wanted it.”

Elias confessed that when she told her classmates about her choice, most people didn’t take her seriously. “But because they laughed, I showed them!” Elias joked.

Some people only start thinking about work after university, but Elias already had the mindset of an employer at 14. “I was always doing something like leading a society and I loved it. But it was contradicting. You want to chill with the ‘cool kids’ but you also want to be in the history society. I was always hands-on and worked every holiday. You have to be a step ahead – I always had this impression. If you want greatness, you couldn’t be like anyone else.”

In Grade 12, while everyone was waiting to apply after school, she decided to plan ahead and already searched for jobs by February or March in order to secure a spot by the time the holidays came around.

And at some point, a radio career was in the works. “I went to Fresh FM and I remember Cheeze laughed at me. That interview was terrible!” Elias reminisced with a smile. “It was so bad, I just gave up on radio.”

But something changed when she found herself in the offices of Energy 100. “They turned me down the first time, but when I dropped off a CD for someone I was managing at the time, I decided to try it out again. I told myself ‘you can do a recording’ and then I got in!” Elias attributes Tafanji as one of the presenters who were great to be around and while her radio career was taking off, she studied engineering at university.

“My mom was so concerned that I would be a socialite. She did not approve of my radio job. She only accepted it when I got my breakthrough to host the Namibia Annual Music Awards.” And afterwards, she decided to start an events company with business partners.

“I’ve always been a busy-body. I’ve had a burnout before and it taught me that you are allowed to get tired. I’m human. But you rest and you get back up again,” Elias said. That wasn’t the end of the road, though. Because of her heavy presence on social media, she managed to get into contact with Monica Geingos, the First Lady of Namibia. “She was retweeting my stuff on Twitter and I would be up at three in the morning! One day, I sent an invitation to her to host an event called ‘Phenomenal Woman’ and she said she was coming! My parents were like: ‘This child is crazy!’”

Elias said that she doesn’t get used to the opportunities coming her way at all, but as she describes, “I’m an engineer before anything else, a Christian, philanthropist, and afterwards a businesswoman who owns a cleaning company and events company.” Adding that she always had an understanding that she needs experience, she feels that it has helped shaped her thinking.

Elias has plans to pursue her Master’s in the United Kingdom, but for now, meeting the queen is at the forefront.

“Nyeuvo was my mentee and she said that I should apply. I actually did it because of her. She’s very supporting.” After pushing through with the application, Elias received the call and she was happier than ever. “I have this thing where it takes me a while to process things. I don’t know why, but it took me two weeks. This is someone who has been dreaming of Cambridge for a year and a half. This is Ivy League, like top 10 in the world.”

This may be one of her achievements, but she’s planning to take on more in the future. One of her secrets to success is staying humble and she strongly advises others to do so. “There’s something about it that will take you far. You are never above any service. Take any job which you are given and execute it well. Never get to a place where you feel like you are entitled. Pull yourself down and stay grounded.”

In case you may have missed it, Elias leads the Love Is Charity organisation which collects clothes from the public and donates them to the homeless. Volunteers around the country are welcome to contact the team by emailing info@emlovefoundation.org.

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