<B>From electronics to teaching</B>

This young lady from South Africa, married to a Mauritian, has taken time to settle on what she wants to do but now she knows teaching is what makes her tick.

It is difficult to assess someone at first sight. Especially when you have to describe someone like Dawn. Listening to her, you would think she is a counsellor, but she is an English teacher. Looking at her, you would think she is a teenager, but she is an adult. You could also think that she is a shy person, but she is actually very friendly and outgoing. Whoever you may be, she takes pleasure discussing with you, if you need to, and even helping you, if she can. Her eyes seem so innocent and her behaviour shows she is a caring person. Her personality is simply awesome.

After completing her BSc in electronic engineering, Dawn Lavoipierre came to Mauritius in 2000 and got married to Sebastien, after a love story that had begun in South Africa. She soon got a job as programmer for Giblot Ducray Informatique. But, though she liked her working environment, Dawn decided to move after two years. She felt that sitting in front of a computer the whole day was not what she really enjoyed. She wanted to do a job where she could see different things and meet people.

Hence, Dawn went back to South Africa to train with another company called WSP Consulting Engineers. She spent one year and a half there. Then, she came back to work as an IT engineer in the construction field of WSP Consulting Engineers that has a branch in Mauritius. And, this time, she really started discovering Mauritius.

“When I came back here, I realized I could not compare all the aspects of two countries. In fact, when you arrive in a new country, you have to take it afresh and you should not have preconceived ideas. This is how I started to enjoy life in Mauritius.”

The turning point of Dawn’s career was when she joined Alexandra House School. She spent a year there teaching young kids to speak English. Now, she is using this experience as she has just joined DCDM Business School as English Lecturer. “What I like the most in teaching is when I try to explain something and then I see on their faces that they have mastered it. That is because, as a teacher, my job is to enlighten. And when you do that successfully, you feel proud and happy.”

Reading, cycling and singing are her most regular hobbies. However, Dawn concedes it is hard for her to find time for them. As a South African, English is her first and Afrikaans her second language. Now she is getting used to French and Creole.

Dawn was born on a 27th September 1976 in Durban, South Africa and grew up doing both her primary and secondary education there. Then, she did her first degree course at the University of Natal. Now that she is working at DCDM, she is also studying law as a distance learner with the University of London. So far Dawn seems to be enjoying a peaceful life in Mauritius along with her husband.

“I certainly miss my family. I did feel claustrophobic at the beginning. Especially because I had to get used to the language and so on. But now I am settled here. Mauritius is wonderful. It is a really nice place. So far, I have no plans to go back…”