Everything is better with Soul

Mariselle StofbergRejoice Soul, also known as Nancy Shafa, is a young and vibrant 27-year-old who grabs the opportunities life offers with both hands. This graduate from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management has been in the hospitality and tourism industry for over five years. Currently, she is part of the marketing team at Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR) as a sales consultant in the reservations department.Soul is not only an employee at NWR but is also a professional makeup artist and the co-founder of the newly established Prestige Beauty and Photography, which was founded after she completed a beauty course in Johannesburg two years ago. “I get excited by travelling, spending time with family, exercising, baking and spending quality time in my beauty polar. I look forward to both personal and career growth, because my journey has just begun.”This extrovert, driven, adventuress and risk-taking woman values life and its beauty and is extremely grateful that her career offers her the opportunity to revel in the beauty this country offers. After starting her day with a cup of green tea, Soul receives and handles face to face enquiries from walk-in-clients for reservations in a professional and friendly manner. “I plan tourist holiday trips, sell accommodation for all NWR leading lodges with activity packages and marketing of our products and services at expos and events. Furthermore, I also receive booking requests daily.”Soul says this can include different requests such as amendments, cancellations, payments and NamLeisureCard applications. She also assists with tour operator bookings and payment queries. “Daily I also handle customer complaints and information regarding NWR, but my main responsibility is to meet and exceed customer expectations.” When a customer is happy, Soul is happy too, because she believes that a satisfied client brings returns to a business.“My biggest accomplishment is being able to do what I have passion for as career satisfaction is a big deal for me. Waking up every day and going to an eight-to-five job which lines up with my career values is more meaningful to me than anything else,” she adds. Being a professional makeup artist and having a full-time job requires balance, and Soul prides herself in being able to maintain this balance daily. She also prides herself in her creativity and believes in the importance of career values, teamwork and sharing ideas and information. “My flexibility, ability to fit in quickly and my ability to handle change effectively are important assets that I believe I bring to the table.”She enjoys solving and finding ways to prevent problems and helping in other departments. Where others fear pressure, Soul excels in working under pressure. “I believe my interpersonal skills make me stand out. I evaluate myself from time to time and work on areas that need improvement.”Working with clients, learning new things and coming up with creative ideas to improve old ways are just some of the things that excite Soul. She also developed a career vision board for herself. “These are checkpoints and factors I have set for myself that guide my choices and they form the foundation for my current position at the company and represent what I am working towards,” she says. “I love adventure, real competition, creativity, recognition, collaborating, diversity, exposure to more significant opportunities, a fast pace, influencing others and taking risks. These are all factors that inspire me.”Soul advises young people to choose the industries that they want to graduate in carefully. “Choose your field of study wisely because you invest time and money into it. At the end of the day, your efforts are supposed to plough back, and you are supposed to add value within the industry that you have majored in. Set career values for yourself and learn how to assess them from time to time.”She further belies that if one has not yet completed one’s studies, it is not the end of the world. “Studying has no age limit and always remember that in life we start from the bottom and we work ourselves up. Failures are there to groom us into better and stronger individuals.”Soul hopes to further her studies and obtain her honours degree in business or entrepreneurship and complete her master’s degree. “I believe education and experience is power in today’s careers. I continue to be amazed and overwhelmed by possibilities and opportunities within the hospitality and tourism industry and one day I want to own my own establishment. I have worked with hotels; now I am on the tourism side of the industry and soon I want to experience the airlines and the cruise ships as well. I aim to gain as much exposure and experience and hope to network as much as possible,” Soul adds. With hard work and consistency, Soul is determined to continue growing and evolving and making a difference wherever she is.

Everything is better with Soul

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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Everything is better with Soul

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-04

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