Johannesburg - Inspired by the lessons of failure, a 2021 matriculant from St Benedict's College in Bedfordview describes failure as an excellent teacher to learn from if you’re willing to.
Aidan Govender talked to The Star about some of the life lessons he has learnt from his high school career. He said in order to build yourself you need to surround yourself with people that match the lifestyle you’re aiming for.
Govender obtained seven distinctions in his final examinations with an aggregate of 86,9%.
“I realised that I could not make it through high school alone and that I would need help from people and socialising with others allows for this to occur,” he said.
He added that what kept him motivated to achieve has been failing which was a hardship he faced and was hard on himself about it, but has managed to bounce back from failure by learning a lesson.
Apart from his achievements, Govender was very active outside the academic calendar. He explains that he enjoyed playing sport, basketball in the summer, and his favourite sport, hockey, in the winter season.
“Sport was an excellent way to rest and take a break from all the mind work we did in school and for this reason, it was very easy to integrate around the academic calendar. I usually went to practises after school and I went to fixtures on the weekends which made for an awesome break from studying and working,” he said.
Added to this he also enjoyed technology and lighting at the drama major productions in Grade 11.
When asked how he managed to juggle academics and sport he said he had to decide which aspect was a priority and would forcefully give more attention to the one part that was important, by making extra time.
Govender said his favourite subject was science because it was difficult and challenging and allowed him to test his ability as a learner, unlocking the potential that he did not know he had.
In 2022, Govender plans to study computer science at the University of Pretoria.
“I plan to become a software developer and specialise in data science at the end of my course. I will work extremely well in my course to do a science postgraduate in Cape Town and hopefully work for a company such as Amazon,” he added.
When asked what words of encouragement he had for those currently in matric, he said they should enjoy the year by embracing it, resting, maintaining a social life and putting in the work and the effort today to reap tomorrow’s rewards.
The Star