Johannesburg - Saheti School learner Keeran Moodley speaks about his matric journey, revealing that though it had its ups and downs, success was also in prospect considering his unflinching determination at school.
“2022 was a tumultuous year filled with challenges both academically and concerning daily life as a matric student in a high-powered academic environment such as Saheti School.
“The overall experience can be characterised by long nights and packed timetables, all with the end goal of achieving excellence in the final exams in November. I enjoyed the challenges and discovered the limits of my abilities.
Keeran Moodley jointly achieved the second highest average (90%) and full house nine distinctions and he was named an Outstanding Achiever by the IEB, ranking within the top 5% of candidates nationally in six or more subjects.
“After seeing my preliminary results, I felt relieved. In my mind, they were the last true hurdle left in my academic year, and my performance in them would be an indicator of my preparedness for finals.
“My approach to academics has always been rather unstructured and focused more on intuition and understanding as opposed to hours spent working or the number of past papers completed. I have put together countless study timetables, which I have dutifully ignored in favour of my gut feeling towards which sections of work required more of my attention.“
Speaking about this biggest highlight, he says: “My biggest highlight of the academic year was the day we wrote our final paper, and I left the exam hall thinking that the past 12 years of work and dedication were truly worth it. The elation of completing the largest chapter of my academic career was unmatched in terms of magnitude and breadth.
“The biggest challenge I faced, like many matrics, was burnout. The constant stream of work and the constant pressure to achieve took a toll on me and my peers. My greatest tool in combating this was my commitment to not work on Friday nights, regardless of how much work I had to do. That was my time to relax and unwind.”
Moodley, who was also part of the Saheti public speaking team, shared all the thrilling details about his success with his team.
“My team, consisting of Alexia Petrou, Bonolo Boya, and myself, under the guidance of Dr Daniella Pitt, put together an intriguing presentation on postmodernism that blended an academic criticism of the literary movement with South Africa’s dark past and exploited elements of the human psyche to craft a story that chilled and challenged the audience,” he shared, brimming with pride.
He mentions his family as the drive behind his success.
“My family has always been the backbone of my success and has provided me with the environment to achieve my goals. They have been of immeasurable importance over the past few weeks as we await my results. Without their love and support, I would not be the person I am.
“My wildest dreams are rather mundane; I would like to lead a quiet life, tending my garden and continually learning things. I am reminded of the Bertrand Russell quotation, 'There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge’,” said Moodley.
Moodley says he applied to UCT, Wits University, and Stellenbosch University with intentions to pursue actuarial science at UCT with the end goal of becoming a Fellow actuary and being in a position to give back to his community.
“After my final exams, I went on a solo backpacking trip through Ireland and the UK for a period of six weeks in an attempt to broaden my horizons and de-stress from a challenging year. It has been a transformative experience that has shaped my perspective in new ways and shown me the diversity of the human condition,” he said.
The Star