Introduce yourself and tell a bit about who you are?

Hi. My name is Lazarus G Thapelo, I’m a 25-year-old Motswana native from a small land locked African country called Botswana. Currently, I’m waiting for my university graduation where I’d be obtaining my Degree in BA Social Sciences, double majoring in Political Science and Public Administration.

What inspires you every day? 

What inspires me every day is the prospect of giving back to my parents. They’ve sacrificed so much for me and my little sister and I really want to show them that those sacrifices weren’t in vain.

 What are some goals in life you want to achieve? 

Some goals in my life include furthering my academics, especially in the field of political science because I hope to someday contribute to the overall political landscape of the country. Making it better. I also want to get into crypto trading and investment to attain some form of financial stability and freedom to just live my life and travel the world

What is a positive message you’d like to give to people in the world?

I think a positive message that  I’d like to give to people in the world is for them to reach into their humanity. Its so easy to become so jaded these days especially with all the tragedies going on around the world, but its important to remember that we are all that we’ve got in this planet. Show up for women and children, protect women’s reproductive rights, advocate for lgbt+ rights, let’s try by all means to ensure a brighter future for generations to come. Empathy and kindness go a long way.

What are 3 qualities that describe you? 

I think 3 qualities that describe me are: 

•intelligence 

•perseverance 

•humor 

What were some mental struggles you faced in life and how did you overcome it? 

My life hasn’t been easy. Being a queer boy in my society means that I’ve had to experience a lot of bullshit growing up. The hurtful name-calling, homophobic jokes i had to endure left me sad and depressed for a long time. There was a time in my mid-teens where i hated everything and everyone and thought about killing myself on multiple occasions. Luckily, by some grace, I got through it. I was able to find my own tribe of people who saw and understood me. They helped me affirm my identity and existence to a point where i began to regain the confidence i once thought was lost. I also recently started going to therapy and counselling in order to extensively try to heal my childhood adversities

What is something else you’d like to tell the world about you?

I think something else that I’d like to tell the world about myself is that I’m a cool ass dude