From being a learner who was not vested in academics during her primary school years, Tsitsi Margaret Nhamo secured a spot as one of Crawford International Pretoria’s top achievers for IEB’s matric class of 2024 by receiving eight distinctions.
Despite matric being a challenging year, where she was fatigued and often would have anxiety, she came out victorious with a 94% average in term one.
“This was the highest term average I ever achieved during my high school career, I was ready to conquer the year,” she said.
However, she would often be overwhelmed by nerves during the exam season to an extent of affecting her performance.
The 17-year-old’s determination pushed her to reclaim her academic crown, where she saw herself an honorary of the Good Fellowship and Principal’s Awards.
“I was placed within the top three for all my subjects, where I achieved the highest aggregate in my grade, being 90.63%,” said Tsitsi.
Tsitsi is the recipient of an honours award as she achieved full colours under the academic, additional academics and service categories.
The sports enthusiast also received the Best Under 19 Girls Basketball Player Award.
Tsitsi said she owed her family and friends for her academic milestones.
“I am nothing without my support system, they are great pillars of strength. My study buddy, best friends, siblings, parents and church family are the reason I am continuously encouraged to work hard,“ said Tsitsi.
As the world was wounded by Covid-19, Tsitsi took the opportunity to invest in her academics during lockdown in Grade 8.
“It was a blessing in disguise for my academic success. From Grade 4 to 7, I was a student who never prioritised academics. Instead, I loved to partake in every extra mural activity that was offered. I would spend minimal time studying to maximise my play time,” she said.
The love of philanthropy and community work has driven Tsitsi to pursue a career in medicine between studying at UCT and the University of Pretoria.
“I believe everyone has a duty to help change the life of the next person. I would love to become a medical doctor because this career will allow me to help people on a daily basis.
“However, I am also considering studying Actuarial Science at UCT due to my love for Mathematics and Information Technology,” said Tsitsi.
The Star