Year 12 Continued...

You are the only one in the year level to get an A in your English exam!” I was in shock. I told her that I didn’t know but I was so relieved. Then my Year 12 Coordinator came out of her office, she had a big smile on her face too. She asked me if I knew what my ENTER score was. I told her I haven’t got my results yet. She told me to go home and dial the information line to get my score. She told me that I will be pleased but she didn’t want to ruin it.

I went home. I dialled the number and punched in my student number. I listened for my result but when I heard it, I hung up the phone. I thought for sure, I punched in the wrong student number, it couldn’t be my score. I told myself to get it together and dialled again, this time, ensuring that I punched in my student number very slowly to make sure that it was the correct one. I heard it again, the same score as before. I was over the moon. I called my mum at her work. When she got on the phone I told her that I got my results. She asked me what I got. I told her to guess. She said 65? 70? 80? I couldn’t hold it in any longer so I told her. “I got 91.9, Mum!” I said. Mum was so happy. I was happy for my Mum. I called my Year 12 Coordinator and told her that I got my results. She said she was so proud of me and I had to go to school as they are taking a photo of the students who achieved a score over 90. As I walked in, I could tell that many of the students who were there to share their scores were shocked that I was going to have a photo taken. There were only a few of us who achieved a score over 90. There were only 3 or 4, I think. The two boys who were placing bets on me came up and asked me what score I got. The one betting that I would fail said that I couldn’t have got over 90 because the girl who he thought was smarter than me got a score of 85. Before I could answer him, he grabbed a letter which had my score on it to have a look for himself. He was dumbfounded. I didn’t think it was worthwhile to say anything.

I received several offers for the courses that I applied for. Different universities sent me a letter telling me that I had been accepted. I chose one that was in the city as I was also working at Nando’s in the city at that time. I soon received a phone call regarding an interview with a company who was interested in sponsoring me for the cadetship program. I went to the interview and as I was going through the door, a girl from my school who had a higher ENTER score than me walked out. She had just been interviewed and I guess I was competing with her for a sponsorship. I didn’t let it get to me. My interview went well. They were pleased with my results and pleased that I also had extra curricular activities. They wanted someone who had academic abilities but also had people skills. They wanted someone who would be flexible enough to manage a lot of different tasks. I left the interview and was hopeful that I would get the cadetship but was also aware that I was competing with hundreds of students wanting the same thing. Some had higher ENTER scores than me.

After the interview, I decided to go and buy some stationery. I was daydreaming about getting the cadetship and hopefully getting a better job so I could quit Nando’s. The manager was really mean to me but I couldn’t quit because I needed the money. While I was at the supermarket, I received a phone call. It was the manager from the company I was just interviewed by. She called to let me know that I had been chosen. They wanted to sponsor me in the cadetship program. She asked me to meet her for a coffee the next day. I was jumping for joy. God was spoiling me. I met her for a coffee and she asked me whether I’d also be interested in working for her, doing some administration and hopefully gain some experience and extra cash. I told her that I would love to, however will have to ensure that it fits in with my uni schedule. She told me that my education is her first priority and I can design a work schedule that suits me. I left the meeting and went to Nando’s straight away to resign. That manager, from the company that sponsored me, is now a good friend of mine. I worked with her for several years and although we no longer work together, she still asks if I would be interested in working with her again.

That year was and will always be meaningful to me. I remember feeling so much uncertainty about my future but always had faith in God. That He had my best interest and as long as I gave it my best, He would take care of the rest. I often think about what my score would have been if I didn’t have to move and live with my aunty, if grandfather wasn’t sick in the hospital, if I had the environment to study. Would I have been able to achieve something higher? But there is no use in thinking ‘what if’. Things happen and you just have to deal with it the best way that you can. Every time people would put me down or try to discourage me, I used it as motivation. It would make me more determined to work harder and to aim higher. I am grateful for all the challenges, obstacles and hardships that I had to endure because they made me a stronger person, a person who never gives up, who will never let anything or anyone get in the way of achieving my goal.