Alumni Spotlight: Raidon Hunter-Swart, Class of 2023
A story from one of our Michael Mount Alumni…
“When I finished school in 2023, I didn’t realise how much my time at Michael Mount Waldorf would shape the direction of my life. Throughout school, I loved being active, whether on the basketball court or performing in plays, but it was the Class 11 project that became a true game-changer for me.
The Class 11 project is the culmination of the Waldorf curriculum. Each of us chooses a subject that sparks our interest, then spends the year researching, building, persevering, and finally presenting our journey to others. It’s about developing initiative, willpower and the courage to see something through, even when it’s difficult. For me, that project opened a door I never imagined possible as I explored “The world of drift driving – the art of going forward sideways”.
My research led me to discover that the British National Motorsport Academy offered a BSc degree in Motorsport Engineering and I was accepted upon matriculation, based in part on my motivation and experience of motorsport and racing. As part of this journey, I had the chance to visit SVR-Toyota Gazoo Racing, Africa’s premier motorsport production facility based in Kyalami.
When I shared the story of my Class 11 project and how it shaped me, they offered me something extraordinary: a place on their race car production team. I now build competition-spec Rally Raid Hiluxes; the only ones of their kind in the world.
From there, my role expanded. I became a competition pit crew member, then lead technician on a circuit race car and eventually part of the Rally Raid crew that competed in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, the toughest race on the planet.
In 2025, I had the honour of working as the youngest race technician alongside the youngest ever Dakar stage winner, Saood Variawa. Together, we helped the team secure second place. I’m now preparing for Dakar 2026 as part of the SVR- Toyota Gazoo Racing crew. On the personal racing front, I have my own drift car, and I compete in the South African National Drift Masters Championship Series.
Looking back, I know my Waldorf education gave me the courage and skills to step into this world. The Class 11 project, in particular, taught me that when you pursue something with passion and perseverance, doors open. To any student wondering where your journey may lead, trust the process, because it can take you further than you ever imagined.”
The majority of Waldorf graduates go on to university, both locally and overseas, to study a diverse range of fields across the sciences, humanities, and business, and many continue beyond their first degree.
Alongside South Africa’s many prestigious universities, we have also had students go on to study at the likes of Trinity College in Dublin, University of Edinburgh in Scotland, University of British Columbia in Canada, Leibniz Universität in Germany, Erasmus Universiteit in the Netherlands – and many more!
Michael Mount graduates go on to work in all imaginable professions, but what sets them apart is that they are grounded in a conscious way of thinking, making them likely to work towards bringing about positive change in the world as a result of a holistic upbringing. They tend to excel in their respective fields, as they have been equipped with the necessary tools to be level-headed, self-reliant, and ambitious.