He may come from a small town, but Reuben Lefa Masia has always been inspired to dream big, recently becoming a qualified doctor who seeks to serve underserved communities like the one he comes from.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (09 January 2026) – Hailing from one of the smallest towns nestled in Limpopo, Reuben Lefa Masia from Roossenekal, has proven that even the smallest of places can produce giants.
Not one who has ever felt discouraged by the humbleness of his hometown, Reuben says that he always felt motivated to dream big – bigger than the town itself.
From as young as kindergarten, Reuben knew he wanted to become a doctor.
“I never grew out of that conviction. Instead, it matured, fuelled by the privilege of serving people at their most vulnerable, by a fascination with the human body, and by the dream of returning home equipped to help fight the diseases that burden our communities,” he tells Stellenbosch University.
His teachers moulded him, his friends inspired him, and each school he attended chiselled him to pursue a path of greatness.
When it came to choosing where to study after high school, Stellenbosch University (SU) stood out long before he applied.
He researched every medical school in the country, but the turning point came during matric, when he was selected to attend a fully sponsored camp at SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. That experience didn’t just affirm his dream, he says, “it whispered that this is where my story needed to unfold”.
The first-generation student’s time at SU was enriched not only by medicine but by music, too.
According to the University, for four years, he was a member of the world-renowned Stellenbosch University Choir. Under the leadership of André van der Merwe, he performed some of the world’s most complex choral repertoire and travelled across continents.
Despite his background and bouts of unwelcome imposter syndrome at times, Masia’s journey has taken him around the world.
He has presented at International Surgery Week in Austria, completed a summer programme at King’s College London, performed with the SU Choir in Tokyo, undertook a trauma surgery elective at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, joined the organising team of an international future surgeons programme in Kuala Lumpur, and presented his undergraduate neurosurgery research on two major stages in South Africa.
There’s no denying that he’s done impressively well for himself and most recently graduated from Stellenbosch University (SU) with an MBChB, proving that dreams rooted in small places can certainly travel far.
“I realised that God does not choose the qualified – He qualifies those He calls,” he says, reflecting on how far he’s come.
Reuben hopes to specialise as a neurosurgeon in the future, but for now plans to serve with compassion, to bring humanity and excellence into every hospital room, and to contribute to systems that are kinder and more accessible, especially for underserved communities like the one he comes from.
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