NRF Youth Month 2026: Doniquah Miché Allies

The NRF is committed to growing South Africa’s next generation of researchers and science communicators. June is Youth Month, and this year the NRF celebrates the youth whose work contributes to meaningful change in South Africa and beyond. We thank all participants for sharing their stories with us.

Ms Doniquah Miché Allies is a Doctoral candidate in Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape. She received funding from the NRF for her Doctoral studies.

Tell us about your academic journey

If you asked five-year-old me what I wanted to become one day, my answer would always be the same—a teacher. I knew that I loved school and I loved learning, but the cherry on top was coming home to explain to anyone who would listen what I had learnt that day. Like many kids, I imagined myself facing a classroom full of children, standing in front of a green chalkboard, dressed in a blue shirt and a pencil skirt that fell neatly below the knee, and with a ruler in my hand, which often pointed to the board as I taught. And of course, in my imagination, I was also wearing spectacles because they made me look smart, even though I never actually needed them.

My journey into higher education did not start with privilege or a clear roadmap; it started with my mother’s unfinished dream. She grew up knowing that education was a fragile opportunity. My grandmother often reminded her that if she ever failed a grade, she would have to leave school and go to work, so she made every effort to pass each year and at least complete high school. She was privileged enough to finish matric, but not privileged enough to study further, because, as the eldest of six children, she had to start working immediately after school to support her mother and her five younger siblings. Thus, her story became my motivation.

In 2018, while I was still a 17‑year‑old trying to navigate matric, my world felt like it was unravelling. My parents were going through a divorce and, at the same time, I still knew nothing about university applications and had very limited resources. In the middle of that emotional chaos, my mother’s close friend stepped in and offered to help me apply to UWC and assisted me in registering for the NBTs. I remember sitting in my matric exam room at Modderdam Secondary School when the deputy principal announced that NSFAS representatives had arrived to help learners apply for financial aid if we had applied to a university. I was stunned. I knew so little about the journey I was about to embark on, yet it felt as though help kept finding me right where I was. From a family friend offering to assist with my application, to the bursary scheme that miraculously visited my school on the very day I had all the required documents, it felt like God kept opening doors I did not even know to knock on. And through it all, I kept choosing to walk through those doors, one step at a time.

After doing some research and feeling a bit more knowledgeable about what and who I wanted to become, I decided that psychology suddenly felt more interesting and enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a triple major in language and communication, ethics and psychology. I graduated on 28March 2022; a day I’ll always remember.

By then, my family was facing financial difficulties, so I agreed to start looking for a job and began working at a call centre in Cape Town’s CBD. While I appreciated earning a salary, I knew deep down this was not where I wanted to retire; it was not the kind of employability I had envisioned when I worked so hard to get an education. Education was supposed to be the key to success, and that space did not feel like success to me.

Seven months down the line, I opened an email at work and discovered an invitation from UWC’s Linguistics Department to pursue an Honours degree in Linguistics. In that moment, my lingering desire to learn overpowered my decision to continue in a job that did not align with my purpose. I accepted the invitation, applied to UWC once again, and before I knew it, I was enrolled for Honours and began tutoring under UWC’s work-study program.

During this tutoring journey, I suddenly found myself standing in front of a class of students again, but this time, they were adults. I was back in front of a board, but instead of the green chalkboard I had once imagined, it was now a whiteboard. I was still dressed professionally, and by then I actually needed spectacles. In that moment, I realised that I had become the very girl I had once imagined. I went on to graduate cum laude, even earning a place on the Dean’s Merit list.

Continuing along this path, I graduated with my Master’s degree in April of 2025, which I completed within a year. I never envisioned myself in research or academia growing up, and never in my wildest dreams would I even have considered a Master’s degree. Hence, this path was slightly different to the initial plan. But I still stood in front of a board wearing glasses and doing what I loved most—sharing my knowledge. 

As I studied, I got to learn a little bit more about myself and the more I learned, the more I loved what I did. I found purpose in teaching, tutoring and understanding the complexities of human communication within the field of linguistics.

On 02 February 2025, it was an absolute delight for me to enrol at UWC once again, but this time as a 25-year-old PhD candidate in the field of linguistics. I’m still living my childhood dream just in a different, but equally impactful, form. This is what I was born for.

How has your affiliation with the NRF impacted your studies/career?

I am currently funded by the NRF as a first-time Doctoral student, and this opportunity has renewed my confidence in my future as a researcher.

Before receiving NRF funding, my academic journey was marked by financial challenges. During my Master’s studies, I had to give up tutoring because it required me to be on campus frequently, and the work-study stipends barely covered my daily expenses. As a full-time student raised by a hardworking mother employed at a factory, financial pressures were constant. Although financial aid covered my tuition fees, many everyday needs, such as transportation, meals, and academic necessities, remained difficult to manage. Having to stop tutoring was especially discouraging because it was something I absolutely loved doing.

Discovering the NRF scholarship opportunity became a turning point in my life. After applying, I was fortunate to be awarded funding, and since then, the burden I once carried was significantly eased. The NRF’s support has given me the freedom to focus fully on becoming the PhD I am meant to be. I can now travel to campus whenever necessary, participate more actively in my academic workshops and conferences, and dedicate myself wholeheartedly to my research without constantly worrying about finances.

Beyond support for my studies, the NRF funding has also allowed me to assist with my mother’s day-to-day household needs. This has been deeply meaningful to me because it has given me peace of mind, knowing that our household’s needs are being met. For the first time in my academic journey, I am able to focus fully on my studies and research without constantly worrying about financial pressures at home. Academic work is now my primary concern, and that sense of stability has made a tremendous difference in both my personal and academic life.

More recently, I also applied for and was awarded an NRF Conference Grant, which has given me the exciting opportunity to present my preliminary PhD research findings. This experience represents an important milestone in my academic development, as it allows me to engage with other researchers, gain valuable feedback on my work, and contribute to important scholarly conversations within my field. It is especially meaningful because it marks a shift in how I present myself, no longer simply as a student in need of support, but as a scholar whose work deserves recognition and visibility, even on international platforms.

The support of the NRF has helped clear a path toward success and has strengthened my belief that through education, perseverance, and opportunity, I can achieve my goals and make a meaningful contribution to society and my field of research.

What is your research focus or area of expertise?

I consider myself an aspiring academic in the field of linguistics. Communication forms part of our everyday lives as complex human beings, and the way we speak, the words we choose, and the meanings we create all shape how we understand the world around us. Language is never neutral. It reflects beliefs, emotions, power, and social attitudes. This is what drives my research interest, particularly in relation to topics that society often considers sensitive, controversial, or even taboo.

My Master’s research explored one such taboo topic. My thesis, titled Exploring Selected Representations of Signs of Genocide on TikTok: A multisemiotic analysis, examined how social media users discussed and framed the situation in the Middle East. At the centre of the study were ongoing debates about whether the events should be described as a “war” or a “genocide.” I was interested in understanding how people used language on TikTok to construct these competing narratives, what linguistic choices revealed about public perception, and why these representations matter within broader political and humanitarian conversations. The study highlighted the power of digital communication platforms in shaping public understanding of global crises.

My current PhD research continues this interest in taboo and socially sensitive topics, this time focusing on the construction of the “criminal mother” in discourse. My interest in this topic emerged from a particular South African case involving a mother who was convicted of selling her six-year-old daughter after initially reporting the child missing. The case sparked widespread societal outrage, and while this was not the first case of a mother selling her child in South Africa, it became especially significant because TikTok emerged as a major platform through which people discussed, judged, and interpreted the case, making it ripe for discourse analysis research.

Through this research, I explore how language is used to construct ideas of motherhood, criminality, blame, and morality within online spaces. Ultimately, my work seeks to demonstrate that language is not simply a tool for communication, but also a powerful mechanism through which society shapes meaning and identity. In this case, a woman’s identity shifted from motherhood to “monsterhood”, and the only thing that happened in between was language.

What purpose drives your research/work, and how do you hope it will contribute to meaningful change?

The purpose that drives my research is a desire to engage with societal issues that are happening within my community. Through my research, I hope to contribute to meaningful change by revealing how language influences the construction of public narratives and social judgment. Language is not “just talk”; there is power in the tongue. The words people use can reinforce stereotypes, create moral panic, influence empathy, and shape how society responds to victims, families, and communities. If we begin to understand these linguistic patterns more critically, we can start shifting conversations toward accountability, support, empathy, and social awareness rather than hostility and harmful judgment.

I also believe this research is important because language plays a critical role in how society addresses deeply painful and difficult experiences, including violence, abuse, and trauma. In many cases, people avoid speaking about these issues because they are uncomfortable or considered taboo. However, silence can also contribute to misunderstanding and stigma.

I hope my work encourages more thoughtful and responsible communication around these topics and helps create space for people to speak about the “unspeakable” in ways that are constructive, compassionate, and socially conscious. Speak out against gender-based violence. Speak out against rape/murder/narcissism. Speak out against emotional abuse. Speak out! Words have power.

Being a young researcher can be demanding. What keeps you motivated and grounded throughout your journey?

Being a young researcher can be demanding, especially when that means you have to juggle school work, tutoring, mentoring, learning, researching, academic conferences, writing retreats, chasing journals to publish, writing manuscripts and then coming home to cook, clean, and having to deal with menstrual pains and hormone changes, but somehow you’re still expected to show up and keep going.

Yet, what keeps me grounded throughout my journey is my faith. A huge shout-out to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has kept me, sustained me, and elevated me beyond my wildest dreams. In moments of despair and uncertainty, it was God alone who carried me through. Prayer has been my greatest source of strength, and I truly believe that God placed the right people and opportunities on my path exactly when I needed them most.

What also keeps me motivated is the vision I have for my future. I want to work until I no longer have to introduce myself at conferences. I want to work so hard that one day my future husband can proudly say, “Just Google her.” And more importantly, I want my future children to call me “Dr Momma.” I want them to grow up knowing that dreams are achievable, that hard work pays off, and that anything is possible if you believe. Whatever I have achieved in life, I pray that my future babies achieve more. However kind I have been, I pray they are kinder. However generous I have been, I pray they are more generous. However thoughtful I have been, I pray they become even more thoughtful. I want to be the floor to their successes and never the ceiling. I want to be the momma that knows…the momma that makes it happen…and the momma that did it scared, did it tired, did it with trembling hands but did it regardless. I want them to know what a blessing it is to build something steady with shaky hands and a shaky voice.

Growing up on the Cape Flats, specifically in Bonteheuwel, the odds were often against us. Crime statistics, teenage pregnancies, gangsterism, and youth unemployment are realities many young people in my community grow up surrounded by. Yet through it all, God perfected His plan for my life. My journey is proof that your environment does not have to determine your future. Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

I have also been fortunate to have incredible teachers throughout my life, and I believe they inspired my path into academia. Their care, dedication, and belief in their students left a lasting impact on me. I would love to become the kind of educator they were to me because I truly believe that if more students became brilliant, compassionate teachers, the world would be a far better place.

Finally, my brilliant mama bear supervisor, Prof Sisanda Nkoala, is everything I aspire to be. She reminds me that nurturing and ambition are not mutually exclusive. You can be a present, loving mother while also being an exceptional woman in academia and excelling at both. Watching her move through life with intelligence, grace, and strength constantly reminds me that beautiful girls can do hard things. Little girl, you can become whoever you desire to be, and you can do it beautifully and brilliantly.

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