Southdowns College 2024 matriculant top achiever advised the next matric cohort to work hard, ease off the stress and mostly, enjoy the academic year as matric only comes once in a lifetime.

Sudu Kiash said discipline and a strong work ethic enabled him to achieve a well rounded 100% in Maths and receiving nine distinctions for the 2024 IEB matric exams.

Although the academic year was met with an intense amount of work, Kiash credited matric as his best year socially because he built relationships and honed his leadership skills.

“Prelims were extremely challenging, which prepared me well for the finals. They were intensive, which definitely required a lot of discipline and a strong work ethic,” he said.

The season of the Covid-19 pandemic was Kiash’s most emotionally taxing phase as he lost many loved ones, which affected his academics while adapting to online learning.

“The pandemic affected my academics, as it led to the loss of many loved ones around me, which led to many lost days of academic time, and grief overall,” he said.

However, the pandemic instilled in him discipline as he was struggling with procrastination.

“Additionally, it taught me how to have discipline in my work, while being surrounded by constant distractions,” said Kiash.

The 18-year-old’s biggest highlight was being a prefect, as his leadership skills were tested when he led both the school’s robotics team, and leadership department.

Kiash hopes to carve his future by enrolling for Actuarial Sciences at the University of Pretoria.

“My aspirations are to be a successful person financially, while also being in a career that suits my interests and talents. Hence, I hope for Actuarial Sciences at UP because it offers a gateway to be financially well off, and delves into my large interest in Mathematics,” he said.

The Star

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