When she was just 13, she became a symbol of the struggle against racism when she stood up against the rules of her school – the Pretoria High School for Girls – which was forcing black girls to straighten their curls. Since then, Zulaikha Patel never stopped her battle and went on with her activism, also thanks to the non-profit organization which she founded: Dare to Change. By creating small libraries in African schools in troubled areas, her mission has been to educate new generations of young black girls and boys to fight racism. In the Lavazza Calendar 2024, she was photographed by Aart Verrips.