Samara Jay achieved nine distinctions in her final IEB examinations. Picture: Supplied.
Johannesburg - Thriving on being busy is how Linksfield King David High school matric pupil Samara Jay managed to complete her matric year.
A regular day in Jay’s life included tennis practice, athletics, cross country, public speaking, play productions and community service; added to this was homework, assignments, projects and exams.
“I enjoyed doing everything and made the most of every day. It was hard but so worth the effort. At times it was very hard to be there for the important milestones of my friends and family, be involved in everything at school, and keep up with work and I often failed at juggling everything, but I was dedicated and just learnt to cope,” said Jay.
She added that some of the toughest lessons she’s learned in her matric year were time management, letting go, accepting the situation and normalising that hard work pays off.
She hard work paid off as Jay achieved nine distinctions in Accounting, English, Hebrew, History, IsiZulu, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Advanced Programme Mathematics. Her aggregate is 92.67%.
In grade 3 Jay attended a school where IsiZulu was compulsory as a subject, but this changed when she started high school. Learners were given a choice to decide which language to take until matric, and as someone who describes herself as optimistic, she chose IsiZulu.
This decision, she says, was inspired by her father who once shared a quote with her from the late Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
“I felt that by taking Zulu, which is the largest ethnic group in South Africa, later in life I could connect to more people and create deeper, more meaningful relationships. Not many people expect a white, young woman to understand and communicate in Zulu and every experience so far in my life where I have been privileged to converse with another Zulu-speaker, their face has lit up in amazement and it is an unparalleled feeling,” said Jay.
She added that she would be taking a gap year this year to learn about the world and her heritage in less formal ways. Jay will be travelling to Israel to attend the Bnei Akiva’s Limmud programme.
When asking her what her encouragement was for pupils who are completing matric this year, she said it would be to make the word pressure a norm instead of fighting against it.
“To avoid panic, get organised and work steadily and continuously throughout the year. Make sure to enjoy the last months with your friends and teachers. The year goes by in a blink of an eye, so just take in every moment and take everything as it comes.”
The Star