[Learners’ Testimonials] Sharing Impactful, Personal Journeys In Samsung Solve For Tomorrow 2025 Competition

The annual Samsung Solve For Tomorrow 2025 competition has reached its end – the road to the finals. October marks the final phase of the competition which has now culminated in the judging process of the Top 10 schools’ prototypes, followed by the prize-giving ceremony.

In an effort to highlight how learners envision a better future through education – three learners were selected from the Top 10 schools and given an opportunity to share real and relatable stories on how they found their passion for school as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). Their personal stories aim to highlight how these young people who participated in this year’s Solve For tomorrow competition viewed their experience and the power of choice as well as the impact of being part of this succesful initiative.

As one of Samsung’s Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiatives – the Solve For Tomorrow competition has a striking effect on the lives of the youth in the country. Over the years, Samsung has been using its resources in its quest to bridge the STEM education resource gap in the country and this is an illustration of Samsung’s commitment to empowering the youth from underprivileged communities.

Samsung is dedicated to fostering responsible corporate citizenship in the education sector through various global and regional initiatives that include the Solve For tomorrow competition. Over the years, this global electronics giant has demonstrated a strong commitment to education across Africa through programmes such as these, with notable results in South Africa. By leveraging its technological expertise, Samsung focuses on empowering youth, closing digital divides and promoting STEM education in underserved communities.

One of the learners from Masibambane Secondary School said his community has had a serious water scarcity and power cut crisis for some time and, while he cared about this situation – he felt powerless to do anything.

The Masibambane learner explained further: “I knew a bit about STEM and was excited to learn how I can apply it to find solutions to solve real world problems. This competition seemed like a huge mountain to climb and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I had what it takes to reach the top 10. My team and I decided to tackle water scarcity and the effect of power-cuts in our student community by designing a “smart” system titled: HYDRO GUARD.

“This Hydro Guard system is able to use the water that is normally wasted by residents in our community and stores this unclean water in an effort to create power (Hydroelectricity) for the school. It’s now able to recycle this unclean water through water treatment before it is served to the school so that it can be used again.”

This learner and his team mates spent weeks in the Solve For Tomorrow 2025 design thinking workshops, where they learnt how to brainstorm ideas, collaborate with others and even fail forward when their initial designs didn’t work. Participating in this competition, he said: “The skills I’ve learnt from problem solving, scientific research and critical thinking to public speaking aren’t just for a school project; they are tools I can use in my life. I’ve realised that I don’t have to wait for someone else to solve the problems I see – I now have the power to be a part of the solution.”

Because of this impactful experience, this learner from Masibambane Secondary is now considering a career in architecture, specifically in the theme of designing sustainable and eco-friendly buildings that are powered by renewable energy. He said that he’s now more confident about his future than ever before. “The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition didn’t just help me build a smart bin; it also helped me build a smarter, more confident me,” he added.

A second learner from Umlazi Comprehensive Technical School said: “Through this journey, I’ve learnt that teamwork is very important. What you do together as a team has a better chance of turning out well than when it is done by an individual. I’ve also learnt that communicating well with your team, makes the process of working together much easier. And through this Solve For Tomorrow competition, I also discovered some of the skills that I didn’t know I had, like creativity as well as being able to speak in front of many people.”

This Umlazi Comprehensive Technical School learner went on to say: “The Solve For Tomorrow experience also helped me realise that people are affected by the same problem in different ways. This therefore taught me to not only look at things in my own perspective, looking for information from other people also helps an individual to see things in a different light. It also helped me realise that when faced with challenges such as load shedding or floods – I can come up with innovative ideas to help solve these pressing problems in my community.”

Another team member from Phomolong Secondary School explained: “When we began our journey in this competition, I didn’t know how it would work out. It seemed like a big challenge, but as we worked together – I realised the power of teamwork. Each of us had different ideas and when we combined them, we were able to achieve something meaningful.

“This journey has taught me that teamwork is not always easy – there were moments of confusion and even disagreements. But those moments helped us learn how to listen and respect one another. I am grateful to my teammates, our teachers and the Samsung mentors for their support. This journey has helped me to grow, not only as an individual but also as a team player and a leader.”

Samsung is dedicated to fostering responsible corporate citizenship within the education sector through initiatives such as the Solve For tomorrow competition.