We came to Australia to have a better life. To have opportunities and for me, it was to get an education, a university degree that would lead me to a good job. I was determined to do just that. I set out to achieve as much as I could academically at school. It was going so well that I had time for extra-curricular activities like the church choir, participate in community musicals, at Year 11, I successfully completed two Year 12 subjects and I even had a job working at McDonalds, after school and on weekends. Everything was going well until I got to Year 12. In high school, year 12 felt like the most important year. Everyone’s goal was to complete Year 12 with the highest ENTER score possible, out of 100, to ensure a greater chance of being accepted into a desired course. Anything over 90 was considered high and rare for the public school I attended. On top of all that, a few of the students were advised to apply for a cadetship program which selects 20 students out of around 300 who applied every year. The cadetship program would get a company to sponsor you, pay your university fees, pay for all your textbooks, give you an allowance of $120 per week and you will have the opportunity to do work experience with that company for 3 weeks every year you were at uni. Many of the cadets are also then offered employment with that company. I was determined to do my best to get a high ENTER score and get a cadetship.
The year started out fine, I selected my subjects with guidance from my teachers. To get extra points towards the ENTER score, there were certain subjects that could be selected. They were more challenging but I wanted to give them a go. I chose Maths Methods, Specialist Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and, English was compulsory. My first semester went very well. I got A’s and A plus’ on my exams however I wasn’t enjoying some of the subjects and since I had already completed two high scoring Year 12 subjects while I was completing Year 11, I was able to drop two subjects. I chose to drop Biology and Physics to my teachers’ disappointment. The second semester started off well however when it was time for me to study for my final exams, we had to move to my auntie’s house which was around an hour away from school. My aunty tried her best to create an environment where I could study, she knew that I was going through my final exams and she wanted me to succeed despite everything that was going on at the time. However, at that time, my grandfather was very sick and was in hospital so the household was hectic, everyone was stressed out and there were a lot of people around all the time. It was not an ideal place where one could study peacefully, let alone concentrate. Everyday, my brother and I would have to travel by bus and train to get to school. After school, we would have to meet up with my mum at her work, go to the hospital to see grandfather then wait for a lift home. By the time we got home, it was late. I tried to study where I could but I did a lot more praying than studying.
I knew that my concentration level was very low at school. I had so much to deal with outside of school that my schoolwork was suffering. My teachers even had a special meeting to discuss how they could help me concentrate better, thank God for them. One of my teachers offered for me to live with her and her husband. She said she will set up a study for me at her house so that I could concentrate better. I told her that although I appreciated the thought, I couldn’t leave my family. She understood. My teachers worked extra hours to assist me as I prepared for my exams. They went above and beyond their call of duty and to this day, I will never forget their kindness and their belief in me and my abilities.
Soon, my exams started. I did the best that I could with them. I knew that I could have done better if I had studied more but it wasn’t a possibility at that time. I accepted that. I remember the night before my Chemistry exam. I studied then went to sleep. In the middle of the night, my aunty received a phone call from the hospital. My grandfather had passed away. It was not a shock but it was still a very sad event. Mum told me to go back to sleep and we would go to the hospital in the morning. We went to the hospital in the morning. A lot of our relatives would arrive soon after. When everyone had gathered, Mum told me to pray for grandfather. I led our family in prayer, thanking God for giving us the chance to re-unite with grandfather. When everything had settled down, I went and called my Year 12 Coordinator to let her know that my grandfather had passed away and what she thinks I should do about my exam. At that stage, I was late for it and I would not be allowed in. She told me that I should still go to school and attempt the exam. I would have to complete it alone, in a separate room and she will explain to the Board of Education the reason why. They will take it all into consideration when they calculate my ENTER score. My cousin and her fiancé drove me to school.
As I walked through the doors at school, the Year 12 Coordinator was waiting by the door. She handed me a bunch of roses and gave me a hug, telling me how sorry she was for the loss of my grandfather. She started to cry. I tried to stay strong, to focus and gather my thoughts. She led me into one of the classrooms and I had to begin my exam. It was a challenging one and I prayed that I had given it a decent attempt. I had to accept the situation but I also owed it to myself to give it my best shot.
Just before my English exam, which was also the last exam, we moved back home. I didn’t have time to study as we had just had grandfather’s funeral. I was responsible for the Eulogy. So to study for my English exams, I decided to memorise quotes from the novels we read during the year and prayed that the questions would be about those parts of the novels. I remember the day of the English exams very clearly. I got ready, prayed and walked to school. A lot of students were already gathered outside the exam hall. Some were reading the novels, some were writing notes, some were listening to music and some were discussing their exams. I stood around the people who were discussing their exams and there were two boys in particular. One asked me how I was going with my exams. I told him that I was going ok, not wanting to go into too much detail. Then the other boy said “I bet you will fail this English exam, I heard you had to move and live with your aunty, your life is really messed up, you’re not going to make it”. Then the two boys decided to have a bet. One said I will fail and the other said I will pass. I decided not to say anything. But deep inside, I was determined to prove that I was going to make it.
Soon, we were allowed to enter the exam hall. We were given time to read the questions and then start the exam. Praise God! The questions were related to parts of the novels I had studied and memorised. I was writing away. I was writing pages and pages and had to take frequent breaks as my fingers started to cramp. I looked around and some people were struggling to write a page. We were then given a warning that time was nearly up. I concluded my essays and double checked that I had fulfilled all the requirements. Soon we were given an option to either leave the hall if we had finished our exams or stay back to double check everything, I noticed that some people decided to leave. I decided to stay back and pray. I wanted to thank God for His guidance and for allowing me to give it my all. I surrendered it all to Him. When it was time to leave the hall, I walked out and some people came up to me and asked me how I thought I went. I said that I answered the questions and hopefully my answers and the way I presented them was good enough. Then some asked me why I stayed back when I had the option to leave the hall. They wanted to know if I was trying to finish the exam or if I had a problem. I told them that I decided to stay back and pray. A girl said to me “why would you pray? Praying doesn’t do anything”. I told her that I was giving thanks. She asked me what for. I told her that I was giving thanks for everything. I guess they didn’t understand what I had to give thanks for.
It felt like such a long time before I could find out my results from the exams and what my ENTER score was. Mum was so worried that I would stress out, she told me that she would be happy if I just passed with an ENTER score of 60 or 70. I thanked Mum, I hoped for something higher but knew that I had to be realistic and be prepared for anything. The day finally arrived. My result was just a phone call away. But I must have forgotten about it because I decided to go to school instead to get something from my teacher. As soon as I walked through the door, my English teacher came out to see me. She was smiling and gave me a hug. She said she was so proud of me. I asked her why. She looked at me and said “Oh, you don’t know yet?
To be continued...
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