Most young people picture success as a straight line: finish school, graduate, get a job, move on.
But real life rarely works like that. It bends, pauses, restarts and sometimes takes the long way around.
That’s why Ashireen Andries’ story stands out.
At 21, Ashireen is completing her matric year at Strandfontein High School. It has taken her longer than expected, but she never stopped showing up. She kept going and that matters most.
When Ashireen joined 9Miles Project over five years ago, she was still figuring herself out. She loved cooking, sports and time with friends, but also faced challenges at school, negative influences, and moments that could have easily derailed her.
Even then, she held onto simple but powerful goals: help her family and finish school.
School didn’t always come easily. But Ashireen’s growth wasn’t limited to the classroom.
Through consistent involvement in mentorship and youth development programmes, she kept building herself up step by step. During school holidays, she joined the 9Miles Café, gaining real workplace experience learning customer service, teamwork, responsibility and confidence.
Something clicked.
She discovered she enjoys hospitality, and more importantly, she’s good at it.
After matric, Ashireen hopes to pursue a hospitality learnership. It’s a path that fits who she is, someone who enjoys people, service, and creating positive experiences.
Her dream may look different now, but it is stronger, clearer, and more grounded in experience.
Not every success story is loud or fast.
Sometimes it looks like persistence.
Sometimes it looks like starting again.
Sometimes it looks like simply not giving up.
Ashireen has done exactly that.
Her journey has been shaped by mentors, staff, volunteers, and supporters who chose to invest their time and belief in her potential.
At 9Miles Project, we continue to walk alongside hundreds of young people through education support, mentorship, life-skills development, and daily meals because opportunity changes everything.
As Ashireen steps into her next chapter, many more young people are still on their way.
You can help by:
• Volunteering in our education programmes
• Offering workplace exposure or learnerships
• Supporting our feeding programme
• Donating resources for youth development
• Partnering with 9Miles Project to create opportunities
Ashireen’s story is a reminder that progress doesn’t always follow a timeline but with support, it always moves forward.
And sometimes, the longest journeys lead to the strongest foundations.
