Johannesburg - Eighteen-year-old Danny Yan-ming Goa from St Benedict College’s matric class of 2022 has made not only himself but his family proud after achieving 11 As, including 100% in maths and science.
Goa beat the odds to come out on top after struggling with mental health issues in the early parts of the year.
He achieved an average of 93% and was also the school’s top achiever in music and English. Goa further appeared on the Independent Examinations Board’s (IEB) outstanding achievement list for achieving within the top 5% in 6 or more subjects and achieving a rating level of 7 in Life Orientation.
This Chinese-born matriculant told The Star that even though the academic year was full of challenges in both his academic and personal life, he is glad he was able to finish as one of the top achievers in his class.
“It was a challenging year to say the least, not only because of the academic pressures but also certain struggles in my personal life. Now that I have made it through, it was an incredibly rewarding experience,” he said.
He added that he has always had high expectations of himself, which is why he pulls out all the stops to ensure that he comes out tops in all 11 subjects, in spite of all the challenges and the pressure of doing well in his matric year.
“I have very high expectations for my results because I know that the teachers have invested a lot of time and effort into me, and I want to make them proud.”
He said playing the piano and having a strong family and social support system were instrumental in helping him overcome some of the challenges that beset him during the course of 2022.
“I have my incredible friends to thank for getting me through the year. I turned to them when I needed help, whether it was academically or personally; I always had a support group I could rely on,” he said.
He said it was important for him to strike a fine balance between his studies and hobbies, as it presented him with an opportunity to heal from his bout of mental health issues.
“I treated my hobbies as an escape mechanism when the studies became overwhelming, so I would paint or play the piano in any spare time I had. I reminded myself that although I am prioritising my studies, I still have a life outside of school, and I needed to give that time and attention, too.”
When it came to preparing for his studies and the final exams, the driven 18-year-old said he made sure to keep his notes up-to-date and near him at all times, especially for science, maths and other challenging subjects.
He said he will not be taking any time off from his studies and is already looking to study medicine at one of the top universities in the country.
“I will be going straight into tertiary studies. I have been admitted to the University of (the) Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch, and Cape Town, as well as a few institutions overseas, for the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree.”
His advice to young people such as himself who are struggling with their studies and other social issues is simple: “Matric comes with a lot of pressures and expectations that can be heavily taxing on your mental health. My advice is to have some good friends — a healthy support group that will keep you grounded but also motivate you to do your best.”
Some of his favourite subjects in his final year of high school were English, music, maths, and physics.
The Star