Johannesburg - Hannah Hill’s full commitment to her academics has yielded remarkable results, placing her as a top matric candidate at Saheti School after achieving the highest average of 95% in her final matric exams.
The 18-year-old bagged a full house distinctions in 11 subjects, of which 10 were 90% or higher: Afrikaans, English, Information Technology (98%), life orientation, maths, modern Greek, physical sciences, visual arts, further studies: English (99%), further studies: maths elective (statistics), further studies: maths standard (calculus and algebra).
She was named an Outstanding Achiever by the IEB, ranking within the top 5% of candidates nationally in six or more subjects.
In a conversation with The Star, she said that when she received her preliminary exam results, she was elated to see that her hard work had paid off.
"I was very pleased with my prelim results. It was great to see that the work I was putting in was coming to fruition."
"The experience this year was definitely challenging. There was a lot of pressure to achieve academically, but once I recognised that such things don’t have to define much about my future, I was much more at ease and capable of accepting the time and effort I was able to commit to my studies."
"I didn’t have a very strict academic plan. Mostly, I would just find an area that I wasn’t particularly confident in and commit my day to that. I found that focusing my time on smaller areas for longer periods was much easier and more worthwhile than trying to cover many topics and subjects in a single day," said Hill.
Asked about her biggest highlights, she said: "My biggest highlights and the things I will most look back on are the small, day-to-day interactions with friends and teachers at school, the laughs, and the moments of support."
Though she did not participate in any extra-curricular activities at school, Hill kept active to help rejuvenate her mind.
"Owing to my commitment to matric, I struggled to participate in the hobbies and activities that have always re-energised and motivated me. Realising the effects on my ability to focus, I tried, for at least half-an-hour a day, to incorporate some form of physical or creative activity.
"Going on runs and walks was always my go-to solution for brain fog and mental exhaustion.
"My family was extremely accommodating throughout the year, always helping to ensure a good study environment. Now, as I await my results, they continue to assure me of my potential and ability to succeed on any path I choose, no matter my performance in these exams or my acceptance at prospective universities."
She revealed that she had applied to study medicine at UCT and Wits and hoped to choose an area of specialisation.
"I want to be able to surround myself with the world’s most creative thinkers, and I want to think and create alongside them. I want to use my studies to engineer a future of excitement, adventure, and innovation. I applied for medicine at UCT and Wits. I intend to complete my medical degree in South Africa and hopefully choose an area of specialisation.
"I have been the dux scholar at my school for five consecutive years, which would account for my success throughout high school and into matric towards my ability to balance my academics with a diverse array of other interests and activities."
The Star