Johannesburg - Boitlamo Matsunyane, one of Forte Secondary School’s top achievers, had a rewarding academic year thanks to his teachers and all the support he received, which pushed him to excel in his work.
He said he knew from the onset that he needed to devise a strategy that would assist him in his academics, and with the help of Black Child Tutoring Services, he thrived.
The 18-year-old, from Bramfischerville, attributed his mother Cynthia Nkuna’s contribution to his academic success.
Boitlamo was named in Gauteng’s top achievers list for obtaining more than five distinctions. He obtained a whopping seven distinctions in Setswana home language, maths, life orientation, accounting, business studies, economics and history.
“Coming into my matric year, I was excited by the possibilities ahead. For most of my schooling years, matric has always been (of the highest importance) because of the significance it holds in people’s lives. The academic year was never easy. It was filled with ups and downs... matric is a mental test all day, every day.
“I was not a person to have plans, and it was the first time I had created a plan in matric. Going into the first term I was confident about the content had a strategy. This was because of the early kick-off to the academic year ... I had decided to continue enrolling in my extra classes at Black Child Tutoring Services from Grade 11 to 12 before schools could even open.”
Speaking about his prelim exams, he said that in spite of not achieving his goal, he soldiered on.
“I was not disappointed, but I was also not fulfilled because I did not meet the overall goal I had set for myself.
“I was happy with the consistency of my subjects because I had obtained distinctions in most. Prelims are not easy and fatigue is at its highest during prelims.
“I was proud of myself for keeping my head down and continuing with the hard work and sleepless nights ...”
And on his highlights, he said: “Making new friends that I learnt a lot from in terms of academics and life ... seeing your hard work produce excellent outcomes and exceed expectations. Even though matric was hard, it was also fun, as I enjoyed engaging with others regardless of social status because in extra classes, you meet people who went to schools that you dreamt of going to, and education makes us equal.
“Another highlight would be that I’m honoured to have helped a lot of people who struggled in certain subjects, and I was able to make things better for them. The last highlight would be finishing my matric year knowing that I did my best to pass with the marks I desired.”
He also touched on the challenges he had encountered, such as a heavy workload, keeping his mental health and self-doubt in check.
He aspires to be an economist and said his dream was to fix South Africa’s economy.
“My wildest dream is to fix the economy of South Africa to be one of the leading economies in the world, fighting side-by-side with the US, China, and so on.”
Among his other aspirations, he said, was being the richest person in Africa and South Africa, founding the top finance business in the world and becoming a chartered accountant.
“I want to use my knowledge to help shape South Africa’s economy. I want to be one of the people that change how South Africa is portrayed and make it a better place economically,” he said.
And a message of inspiration for his peers: “Failure inspires me to do better for myself and learn from my past mistakes to grasp knowledge that is new and progressive.
“I always want to learn more in life, whether it’s in finance, economics, or any other field. By learning more, I can use the knowledge to make myself better and pave a better way for myself. Failure for me is always an opportunity to learn, and that inspires me to move forward in life and be better,” he said.
The Star