Johannesburg - Though mentioning not having a great time in high school, Teagan McGinley still rose to the top and did exceptionally well in her studies in Fourways High School.
The 18-year-old said she based her focus on her books and studied with determination so that she could move past high school life and start a new chapter.
Teagan obtained six distinctions in her final exams in Afrikaans (first additional language), maths, life orientation, engineering graphics, life sciences and physical sciences
McGinley spoke candidly about having her mother’s charity as something that helped her get through the year.
“For the year 2021, I got more involved with charity work and giving back to the community, mainly through my mom’s charity, the Daily Bread Organisation.
“I didn’t really give in to the whole matric temptation type of thing, instead I kept my head down in my books and quietly tried to make the community a better place, with the help of my mom, obviously.” she said
Her mother Charmaine McGinley has a charity shop that aims to help the underprivileged and that is where Teagan spent most of her time.
“My mom recently opened a charity shop located in Leaping Frog Centre in Fourways as a means to collect donations from the public for the underprivileged.
“I was at the shop helping to sort out food parcels daily during the hard lockdown and then only on weekends when restrictions loosened, and I was back at school fully. The charity also helped my school’s feeding scheme during the lockdown. A few of the kids from my school came to volunteer on the weekends as well. I really encourage those who can give back to come past the charity shop to donate or to volunteer.”
Teagan’s mother expressed her pride of Teagan’s server-leadership qualities and all that she has done for the organisation.
“Teagan once served a Khoisan man who had arrived in Joburg with nothing. This man was so taken aback and sobbed for a while as he was not used to being treated with such dignity.
“Teagan had a heart for the marginalised that makes me proud of her every day – often she will call me out when I slip and am not as kind as I should be. High School was not easy for Teagan as bonds had already been formed from primary school and as she did not attend the feeder schools she was always the odd one out,” Charmaine said.
Teagan had remained constant in her studies since the year began.
The Star