For Siyethaba Zinhle Bhengu, scientific discovery is ultimately about improving lives. Recognised as a high achiever with the prestigious UKZN Emma Smith Overseas Award, Bhengu, 26, is equally committed to ensuring that scientific knowledge reaches beyond the laboratory. Through Global Brain Awareness Week, she has introduced learners in under-resourced schools to brain health and mental wellness, while volunteering at her church's wellness day to raise awareness of neurodegenerative diseases in isiZulu. For Bhengu, science has its greatest value when it is accessible to the communities it seeks to serve. She credits her late grandmother, Maureen "MaMtshali" Bhengu, a retired ICU matron, with shaping both her character and her ambition.