Doreen Davies
My school, Hoërskool Rustenburg, is a fairly large school with about 1500 pupils situated in an urban area. I think the special part about my school was that the teachers were very involved and caring. We also had loads of activities to participate in and school spirit was always high.
Coming from a very strong support group of family, teachers and friends, I didn’t really encounter large challenges, besides the odd late assignment or forgotten class test.
My parents both have interests in science, my mother in biology and my father in IT. So I was exposed to science from early beginnings. I was fascinated in nature, astrology, micro-biology, paleontology and loads more. Our school introduced an “Academic tour” where the top students were invited to travel to different places for about 5 days. Here we went to places like SALT (South African Large Telescope), various botanical gardens and conservation projects. We got to see a lot of science in action and it really got me hooked.
My inspiration comes from all around. People who pursue their dreams no matter what comes their way are my biggest rolemodels. Scientists, musicians, artists, programmers. Their ambition and perseverance is a big inspiration.
My advice would be to never undersell yourself, but don’t be overconfident. Apply to as many institutes as you can. Always have a backup plan. And don’t limit yourself to one future.
I love computers and programming, but art is a major part in my life. Without art I’m sure I’d never survive. So Multimedia, I think, is a perfect balance between that. I was studying Computer Engineering, but the lack of creativity scared me off (not to mention the difficulty of the course). Multimedia is something I believe I can do well, but also something that I will love doing.
In five years I hope that I am somewhere I never thought I’d be. I hope that life takes me on an adventure and that I look back and think: “How on earth did I get here?” And if that doesn’t happen, then I just want to be happy with what I’ve done in five years.
Don’t think that because you’re doing extremely well in a specific field that you should pursue that career. Also don’t think that because you’re NOT doing extremely well in something that you can’t pursue it. You should do what you love doing. Even if it is against what everyone is telling you what to do, you should (I know it’s very cliché) follow your heart, because it knows what’s best for you.
S.E.T. for socio-economic growth
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