DURBAN - TOP-ACHIEVING matric pupils who wrote the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams said the support they received from their schools, friends and family had a huge impact on their success.
The pupils all made it on to the IEB’s Outstanding Achievements list.
Shristi Sooklal, from Morningside, who went to Maris Stella, said the trial exams were hard but had prepared her for the final exams.
“Our matric year was challenging. The July riots had an effect on me mentally as I was preparing for the trials. The support I got from my family, friends and teachers kept me going.”
She added that the class of 2022 needed to know they should seek out support from their family and friends.
“You must not isolate yourself by just focusing on studying. Have time for friends and family to keep in touch with them, because if you don’t, you’ll easily get tired,” she said.
Shristi said she was planning to study medicine at UCT.
Isabella Rowley from Durban North, who also attended Maris Stella, said she was planning to take a gap year as 2021 had been stressful.
Isabella praised her teachers for their support.
“The teachers worked hard in preparing us for our exams. I would like to do medicine, but I just want to take a gap year,” she said.
Giving advice to the Class of 2022, she said they must not be afraid to ask for help if they need it, and should have fun and make memories.
Another Maris Stella pupil, Isla Wilson from Morningside, said the year went a lot quicker than she had expected. She expressed gratitude to her school for its support.
“The school made our mental health a priority, especially during the July unrest,” she said.
Isla said her family’s support also helped a lot during her matric journey. She added that her plans for the year were to go to UCT to study a BSc in ocean and atmosphere science.
Tyla Christie, who went to Thomas More College, said she would also be making her way to UCT, to study occupational therapy.
Tyla, from Hillcrest, said her matric year was “quite tough” on her mental health.
“The riots also brought a lot of strain, and being in a pandemic as well did not make things easy. The anxiety of not knowing what was going to happen, if we were going to be back in school or not,” she said.
She reiterated that it was important for anyone who would be doing matric this year to reach out to their family and friends, “or anyone who would be willing to listen”, so that they got support.
Ben Oellermann, from Hillcrest, who went to Kearsney College, said the final exams were long and stressful. He said he used the time during the July unrest to focus on his studies.
“When I got into matric I had adapted really well with studying during a pandemic, I had got used to all the Covid-19 protocols,” he said. He expressed gratitude to his school and said he had not lost out on anything.
He said it would be in the class of 2022’s best interests to work hard and do all their projects and assignments, because they did count at the end of the year.
Ben said he planned to study actuarial science at Stellenbosch University.
Jenna Pearson, from Durban Girls’ College said she had enjoyed her final exams.
She added that Covid-19 had drastically changed her style of learning.
“If anything, I think it helped me face the final exams with an adaptable mindset. Life has changed, and through that it has taught me a lot about growing and adapting with change. The stress of preparing for exams seemed quite small compared to what we have been through in the last few years. There were times when I lost motivation, especially during the riots, but by changing the way I learnt, I found different ways to be creative and succeed.”
Jenna said she will be a studying a BSc in human anatomy, physiology and psychology at UCT.
THE MERCURY