5 SA Teens Experience Antarctica, Rethink Their Futures

Standing on Antarctica's endless ice for the first time, seventeen-year-old Luke Boswell realized caring about the environment wasn't enough anymore.

The Gqeberha high school student was one of five South African teens selected for the prestigious Students in Antarctica programme last December. What started as an exciting adventure became a life-changing moment that reshaped his views on engineering, climate change, and what he wants to do with his future.

Boswell admits he had always cared about the environment, but "maybe not enough." Seeing Antarctica's pristine wilderness stretching endlessly in every direction, and learning how quickly it could change, made it impossible not to care deeply.

The Pearson High School pupil joined four other students on the Deep Field expedition: Aaminah Choonara from Lenasia Muslim School, Allegra du Randt from Thomas More College, Naethan Mol from Bishops Diocesan College, and Ntokozo Nkuna from the Khanyisa Education Centre. Together, they experienced one of Earth's most remote and fragile environments.

The programme is the brainchild of adventurer and environmentalist Riaan Manser, who has spent six years taking five South African students at a time to the frozen continent. His conviction is simple but powerful: inspiring and equipping young people can spark real change.

The expedition isn't just about witnessing beautiful landscapes. It's designed to transform curious teenagers into practical environmental problem-solvers who understand the stakes and have the motivation to act.

The Ripple Effect

These five students returned home with more than memories and photos. They came back with a deeper understanding of how their choices and future careers could impact the planet's most vulnerable ecosystems.

For young people growing up in a world facing climate challenges, seeing Antarctica firsthand provides context that classroom lessons can't match. The scale of the wilderness, combined with knowledge of its fragility, creates an urgency that textbooks struggle to convey.

Manser's programme has now reached 30 South African students over six years, creating a growing network of young people committed to environmental solutions. Each cohort returns home equipped not just with concern, but with the drive to turn that concern into meaningful action.

The transformation in students like Boswell shows how direct experience with nature's majesty can reshape career paths and life priorities. What begins as an adventure becomes a calling.

These five teens now carry Antarctica's story back to their communities, schools, and futures, proving that sometimes the best education happens at the edge of the world.