Johannesburg - With a full house of 10 distinctions in the 2022 matric exams, Tamryn Osler, who is 18 years old, has put Kingsmead College on the map once again.
She 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.
Osler, who is looking forward to studying computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, said her final year as a pupil was transformative and fulfilling.
She is also considering studying mechatronics engineering or computer science at the University of Cape Town. She said that the past year has been rewarding and has left her inspired to go out there and achieve greatness in the world.
“With hard work comes a lot of growth. My matric year has been transformative and inspired a lot of growth in me. It also pushed me to absolute limits as I was stepping into leadership roles and positions. I was involved in school from a more holistic perspective in terms of partial work and taking care of younger students. On top of that, I was balancing academics and pushed myself to the limit to try and achieve good marks by the end of the year,” she said.
Osler’s interests and hobbies include surfing and spending time with her friends. She also enjoys maths, physics, and coding. She said adjusting to the demands of the final school year took some getting used to.
“There are some challenges along the road. Taking on these leadership roles was challenging and also getting around applying to university was also something that needed getting used to. I applied to a few universities in the US, and this is a lengthy process that can be quite challenging sometimes. Maintaining a good balance in life can also be quite challenging in matric. Playing sports and trying to find that balance and taking part in different activities and spheres at school other than just academics helped me achieve more academically and stopped me from burning out, and gave me more depth of perspective,” she said.
Osler identifies most strongly with the Kingsmead value of service. She says giving back is the simplest way to find happiness and purpose; service without expecting anything in return is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others.
Osler says one of the things she will miss about school is the relationships she has formed with the school staff and pupils over her five years in high school.
“Another challenge is saying goodbye to the people who raised you. These are the people you spent five years of your life with. When it all comes to an end, you just realise the impact they have had on your life. That was also quite challenging. I will miss the people I grew up with in these few years. But I do know that my school will always be a safe place and a second home for me,” she said.
The Star