Distinction Girl

Tadiwa Mashavave
My pastor’s favourite sermon carries a sentence that goes, “You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.”
It is just one of those cliché verses which you hear but I tell you this is a verse that I now live by. It is not everybody who gets to say they got eight distinctions and two As for their O-Level but I managed to do it because of God’s favour.

Cambridge has six grades, namely A*, A, B, C, D, E. The A* popularly known as a distinction is a level above an A. It is awarded to candidates who show the highest ability and knowledge in a subject.

Many of my friends and family have asked me how I did it and honestly I do not have a proper recipe for it. The constant encouragement from my twin brother and my parents alongside the deep desire to succeed and make my parents proud, I guess that is what really pushed me to study hard.

As for all the teenage stuff like going out with friends, well that had to be cut down when I was writing exams. It was an easy step for me, firstly because I am naturally just not much of an outgoing person and secondly because when you want something really bad there are certain sacrifices which just have to be made. I set boundaries for myself and gave more time to my books than anything else.

I am not a genius. I am just like any normal teen. I love television and hanging with friends. Just like all my peers, I was always nervous before and after writing an exam. It was even worse while I was waiting for my results.

The day before results came out I went out with my friends in an attempt to try forget about the pressure that I was feeling but it just did not help (LOL). I kept thinking to myself, did I pass? What next? What if I have to repeat Form Four?

Oh but the favour of God was upon me. I was so happy to have passed. It was such a great achievement. But for me the joy of passing was nothing compared to hearing my parents tell me they are proud of me and seeing tears of joy in their eyes.

I encourage all those teens writing Form Four and Form Six this year to study hard and to make sacrifices. After all it is only for a season then you can get back to your normal routine. Trust me, it will be worth it.

My story is simply a story of encouragement, perseverance, hard work and sacrifice. Study hard and you too will have a story to tell.
I am now on to my A-Levels and I am so ecstatic. I am going to Peterhouse Girls School where I will study Maths, Biology and Chemistry. My journey to being a top neurosurgeon continues . . .