Finding a Voice, Making Knowledge Matter
For Dr. Kylie Marais, finding her voice has been a journey.
Kylie is a feminist anthropologist, writer and researcher from Cape Town. She recently completed her PhD in Feminist Anthropology, exploring women’s stories of sexuality, centring the lived experiences of women from Cape Town, and what it means to be human – how we are shaped by culture, history, inequality, relationships and the stories we inherit. Today, she works to make research about gender, identity and women’s experiences more accessible and relevant to a wider audience, beyond academic spaces.
Her journey began with MAD Leadership Foundation in 2007, while she was a student at the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
As a first-generation university student, the MAD scholarship gave Kylie the financial freedom to pursue her studies and the confidence to believe in her academic potential. It also connected her to mentorship, opportunities and a community that continued to shape her long after her scholarship years.
The path that followed was not always straightforward. Completing postgraduate studies while navigating parenthood and the pandemic tested the resilience she had developed along the way. But those experiences strengthened her sense of purpose and shaped how she understands leadership today.
For Kylie, leadership is not about having a title or occupying a particular position. It is about using what you know to contribute to something beyond yourself.
That belief is reflected in the work she is doing now. Through research, writing and public scholarship, Kylie is exploring how culture, history, inequality and relationships shape the ways people understand themselves and their bodies. She is particularly interested in making academic knowledge accessible to wider communities, while creating platforms that can support and encourage young scholars and professionals working in gender, sexuality and embodiment.
Her recently launched publication, With Pleasure, is part of that work, sharing research reflections, insights and stories on women’s sexuality. The impact of her journey also extends beyond her research. Within her family, Kylie has become a role model for perseverance and education, particularly for younger cousins who now see higher education as an achievable goal. In her research environment, she leads through collaboration, supports fellow students and encourages inclusivity.
The lesson she carries from MAD is simple: being given an opportunity creates a responsibility to extend that opportunity to others.
For Kylie, that means using her voice, sharing what she has learned and helping make the path a little easier for those who come next. As she puts it:
Leadership isn’t about titles or recognition, but about creating impact through empathy, integrity and action.
What began with an investment in one young person’s education has become a career focused on making knowledge more accessible, challenging accepted ideas and creating space for others to find their own voices.
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