Andiswa Gabela’s fascination with numbers started in primary school
I was born in rural village Dlebe at Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal. I attended KwaGoqo Primary School, where my fascination with numbers started. I moved to Witbank in Mpumalanga Province to stay with my other and I entered secondary school at Phillip Ndimande Secondary School. I completed my matric in 2020. My results made many people proud, especially my mother and my teachers. My teachers at school were dedicated and helped us understand the subjects in a very short space of time. We were even helped by friendly tutors who always encouraged me. I attended church, but it was not always possible due to COVID-19 restrictions.
I felt overwhelmed in my matric year since the school frequently closed due to COVID-19 cases at school and the national lockdown. At that time I was living in a shack in a very disadvantaged area called Marikana, with no proper basic services at all. I had to collect water, sometimes from the river. I told myself that I don’t want to live like this for the rest of my life. My mother understood this and was very supportive.
When I entered secondary school I was not serious about school work. I made a mistake that I learnt a lot from, namely that I thought I knew all the concepts in my school work, so I did not take school work seriously. Things started to change by the time I was doing Grade 10 and by the time I was doing grade 11, I had discovered my potential. I used to study and help my friends in class every time I had the opportunity.
I chose to study medicine because I love people and I have always been interested in the human body. I am happy that I am studying in a field that I am passionate about here at the University of Cape Town (UCT). I want to change the world with the knowledge that I will acquire from the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences.
S.E.T. for socio-economic growth
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