DURBAN - A Chatsworth teenager who received seven distinctions in last year’s matric exams said she drew her inspiration through all the challenges of her matric year from her grandmother.
Tia Pillay, who attended Southlands Secondary School and will be studying dentistry at the University of the Western Cape this year, said her family have always been her greatest support and continually remind her of her potential.
“I draw inspiration from my grandmother because she is a hardworking woman who always encourages me to be a better person and stay focused on my goals,” she said.
Tia said she achieved 93% for English, 87% for mathematics and 90% for science among other distinctions, despite missed school days and the added stress of lockdown.
The teen says she lives by the philosophy ‘faith without action is meaningless.’
She said among the challenges she faced growing up was a lack of confidence and anxiety.
“This proved to be a challenge when I had to voice my opinion or present oral tasks at school, but thankfully supportive teachers helped me to overcome this challenge and I realised my ability to be bold and dream big,” she said..
Tia said it is important to work hard towards achieving your goals and not be lazy by expecting things to just happen.
She said the free supplementary classes hosted at Ganges High School on Saturday mornings provided her with much needed extra tuition in Maths, Physical Science and English.
“The Engen Maths and Science School helped me tremendously because I was introduced to effective new study methods and received valuable study material.
The Engen Maths and Science Schools have run for over 30 years, and offer underprivileged Grade 10-12 pupils free supplementary Maths, Science and English tuition on Saturdays at nine locations across South Africa.
These include Cape Town at Belgravia and Manzombotho High, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cala and Johannesburg, and in KwaZulu-Natal where classes are hosted at Fairvale High School, Ganges High School, Howard College, and Mangosuthu University of Technology.
Engen said the 429 matric class of 2021 attained a 77% overall pass rate of which 64% attained bachelor passes.
THE MERCURY