A million-dollar smile

Lurdi Kandi Aron has been energized to chase her dreams since her time at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
ELIZABETH JOSEPH
Elizabeth Joseph

Although Lurdi Kandi Aron always moved around in the early stages of her life. She knew what she wanted and that kept her grounded and served as a push factor.

She responds to her second name, as she puts it. Aron grew up in Swakopmund, which was also one of the towns she lived in, apart from Windhoek and Otjiwarongo.

She started at Total Namibia in 2015 as an intern right after school.

Aron was working and studying towards her bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in strategic marketing, at the University of Namibia (Unam).

“It was super hard, but I loved it,” she says. In 2016, Total South Africa sent her to Dubai for a year, under the Africa Middle East programme (Africa and the United Arab Emirates) to join the marketing team, and acquire skills and experience as a marketing support affiliate in the UAE.

Aron then came back to Total Namibia in 2018 as a marketing coordinator.

“This is really about providing ground level support in the implementation of marketing strategy, support in the development of consumer-focused promotions, project management (Total Startupper Challenge), marketing communications, etc,” she added.

She says there is nothing that really separates or sets her apart from the rest of her colleagues and that it is all about teamwork and getting the job done. “My boss can make any human laugh and that really complements my style in life. Laughter is everything the face and soul needs, so we are a good team,” Aron adds.

A day in the office

“A lot of admin, but mostly planning for the next event I may be having. As we are an oil and gas company, I sometimes ride along with the salespeople to check out the retail sites, basically expanding my horizons from my job scope. I walk the stairs a lot, back and forth to my supervisors’ offices, making sure all their job requests are being met,” Aron says.

Challenges

As tiny as she is, Aron is a perfectionist and says the most challenging thing has been to remember that a little patience goes a long way. “Trying to not be OCD about perfecting most of my life events and jobs. I always want to get things done at that time, and I cannot always have it my way.

“Accomplishments, that’s easy. I am privileged to have been able to place myself in an advantageous position. I am able to travel when I want to and I believe that is the type of life I have always wanted.

“Having been chosen as the ambassador at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China was the biggest event that set everything else in motion. The excitement never left me. I carried on with wanting to see more of the world and wanting to understand other people’s cultures, and their way of thinking,” she says.

A closer look

She is an advocate for happiness and respect and says she prays everyday on her way to work, which helps set the mood for her day. “After prayer, you walk into the office and immediately the respect for your colleagues kicks in, ultimately making you in charge all the way. God really thought this whole earth and people thing out. It’s beautiful,” Aron adds.

The future

“Just the mere fact that you’re young, gives you the advantage,” says the young professional. “You may not have the knowledge of everything yet, but energy is one of our biggest assets. Energy to take risks now, energy to talk your way into opportunities, energy to place yourself in the eyes of other people.”

Her future plans include being an ambassador to different countries, because she believes that there is so much knowledge to be shared and practiced.

Aron also wants to study international relations and one day be a marketing consultant, maybe a chef or a choreographer.

“All of it. Why not right? I walk into every day and place knowing I have what’s needed to fit into that place at that time. And one day that will come together as my future.”

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Namibian Sun 2024-05-06

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 325.26/OZ UP +1.02% | Copper US$ 4.57/lb UP +0.96% | Zinc US$ 2 924.30/T UP -0.08% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.95/BBP UP +0.56% | Platinum US$ 955.73/OZ DOWN -0.0001 Sport results: Premier League: Liverpool 4 vs 2 Tottenham Hotspur | Brighton 1 vs 0 Aston Villa | Chelsea 5 vs 0 West Ham | Manchester City 5 vs 1 Wolves | Brentford 0 vs 0 Fulham | Sheffield United 1 vs 3 Nottingham Forest | Burnley 1 vs 4 Newcastle | Arsenal 3 vs 0 Bournemouth | Luton Town 1 vs 1 Everton LaLiga: Rayo Vallecano 0 vs 1 Almería | Sevilla 3 vs 0 Granada | Valencia 0 vs 1 Deportivo Alaves | Celta Vigo 3 vs 2 Villarreal | Osasuna 0 vs 2 Real Betis | Mallorca 0 vs 1 Atletico Madrid | Girona 4 vs 2 Barcelona | Real Madrid 3 vs 0 Cadiz | Real Sociedad 2 vs 0 Las Palmas | Getafe 0 vs 2 Athletic Club SerieA: Salernitana 1 vs 2 Atalanta | AS Roma 1 vs 1 Juventus | AC Milan 3 vs 3 Genoa | Empoli 0 vs 0 Frosinone | Hellas Verona 2 vs 1 Fiorentina | Cagliari 1 vs 1 Lecce | Sassuolo 1 vs 0 Inter Milan | Monza 2 vs 2 SS Lazio | Torino 0 vs 0 Bologna European Championships Qualifying: Plymouth Argyle 1 vs 0 Hull City | Birmingham City 1 vs 0 Norwich City | Coventry City 1 vs 2 Queens Park Rangers | Stoke City 4 vs 0 Bristol City | Swansea City 0 vs 1 Millwall FC | Leeds United 1 vs 2 Southampton | Ipswich Town 2 vs 0 Huddersfield Town | Sunderland 0 vs 2 Sheffield Wednesday | Rotherham United 5 vs 2 Cardiff City | Middlesbrough 3 vs 1 Watford | Leicester City 0 vs 2 Blackburn Rovers | West Bromwich Albion 3 vs 0 Preston North End English Championship: Plymouth Argyle 1 vs 0 Hull City | Birmingham City 1 vs 0 Norwich City | Coventry City 1 vs 2 Queens Park Rangers | Stoke City 4 vs 0 Bristol City | Swansea City 0 vs 1 Millwall FC | Leeds United 1 vs 2 Southampton | Ipswich Town 2 vs 0 Huddersfield Town | Sunderland 0 vs 2 Sheffield Wednesday | Rotherham United 5 vs 2 Cardiff City | Middlesbrough 3 vs 1 Watford | Leicester City 0 vs 2 Blackburn Rovers | West Bromwich Albion 3 vs 0 Preston North End Weather: Katima Mulilo: 18° | 35° Rundu: 16° | 34° Eenhana: 14° | 34° Oshakati: 17° | 33° Ruacana: 16° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 32° Otjiwarongo: 14° | 30° Omaruru: 15° | 32° Windhoek: 13° | 28° Gobabis: 16° | 29° Henties Bay: 13° | 19° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 08:09, High tide: 14:30, Low Tide: 20:18, High tide: 02:00 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 08:07, High tide: 14:28, Low Tide: 20:16, High tide: 02:00 Walvis Bay: 14° | 21° Wind speed: 25km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 08:07, High tide: 14:27, Low Tide: 20:16, High tide: 02:00 Rehoboth: 15° | 29° Mariental: 16° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 17° | 31° Aranos: 18° | 31° Lüderitz: 13° | 22° Ariamsvlei: 17° | 34° Oranjemund: 12° | 20° Luanda: 25° | 29° Gaborone: 15° | 30° Lubumbashi: 16° | 27° Mbabane: 14° | 28° Maseru: 10° | 25° Antananarivo: 10° | 22° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 18° | 30° Windhoek: 13° | 28° Cape Town: 15° | 16° Durban: 18° | 29° Johannesburg: 16° | 25° Dar es Salaam: 22° | 30° Lusaka: 19° | 30° Harare: 14° | 29° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.15 | EUR to NAD 19.88 | CNY to NAD 2.56 | USD to NAD 18.47 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.67 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.64 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 133.98 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.62 | USD to EGP 47.91 | USD to KES 133.48 | USD to NGN 1380 | USD to ZAR 18.47 | USD to ZMW 27.07 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 76776.44 Up +0.46% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1698.71 Down -0.09% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13362.48 Down -0.31% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26113.71 Up +3.34% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 325.26/OZ UP +1.02% | Copper US$ 4.57/lb UP +0.96% | Zinc US$ 2 924.30/T UP -0.08% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.95/BBP UP +0.56% | Platinum US$ 955.73/OZ DOWN -0.0001