Desiree Schirlinger

When I was a little girl, among the plethora of bizarre oddities that I wanted to be when I grew up was a car windscreen washer. I would gaze longingly at the petrol attendant masterfully using the squeegee to wipe away pigeon poo and wished with all my heart that one day I could be this harbinger of clean glass.

Eventually I plucked up the courage to ask my dad if I could try my hand at it. Turns out it’s a tough job, especially if you’re too short to see over the car bonnet..

Luckily, I chose a career path involving far less excrement.

I completed my Bachelor of Journalism at Rhodes University and graduated in 2011.

Since then I have gained experience in newsrooms, non-governmental charities and freelancing projects. I specialised in photojournalism so am always ready with a camera but have newsroom experience in reporting and column writing.

Working at the charity I also became heavily involved with education and have spoken to learners all over South Africa about the impac