Online Reporter
Latwell Nyangu
AN A-Level student, Kourtney Mashorokoto, has earned seven awards from her academic exploits in Cambridge O-Level examinations.
Kourtney, 15, is so academically-gifted that she skipped Form 2 and went straight from Form 1 to Form 3.
During her O-Level Cambridge exams, she emerged as the stop student in Zimbabwe in Business Studies, Computer Science, English Language, Geography and Mathematics.
She was the top student in the history exam in the world.
The ceremony to honour her will be held on June 11, in Harare.
Kourtney, who is now in Form 5, said she believes she was gifted by God from a very young age.
“I really liked reading books and I enjoyed learning new things from reading books.
“I could even finish a novel in two days.
“My favourite hobby is actually just reading, reading in general.
“When I got into Form 1, I was a very competitive person.
“I liked being ahead of everyone so that made me read even more, just so I could stay ahead and above my peers.
“I was always doing well in all the monthly tests and the termly tests and our school was very competitive.”
She added:
“They made me go from Form 1 straight into Form 3 instead of going into Form 2.
“That is why I am younger than most of my peers right now.
“When I got into Form 3, that is when I realised that school is not just about competing with people. It is about your performance as a person, and how you push yourself.
“That is how I ended up reading more, to catch up with everyone.
“Everyone was ahead of me at the time, so I started reading more.
“Sometimes I would even wake up at one in the morning and sometimes I would do all-nighters just to read.”
Then, Form 4 came around.
“I still wasn’t confident enough to think I would write my exams, pass, and excel – specially in Physics.
“Physics was a very scary subject and I never really liked it. I know my mother and my sisters would pray for me every day while I wrote my exams. I placed all my faith in God that I would pass.
“When the results came out, God blessed me with seven subjects and I even managed to get Cambridge Learner Awards.
“I have got six awards, top in Zimbabwe, and one in which I’m top in the world.”
She is now studying Maths, Physics and Computer Science at A-Level.
“I want to do Computer Engineering in Canada. Hopefully, if I get a scholarship, I will be able to focus on a career.
“I can do Robotics Engineering or Machine Learning Engineering and that is what I am focusing on right now.”
Her mother, Angela Manyanga, said she has been encouraged by her daughter’s exploits.
“I have seen her hard work behind the results we are celebrating today.
“From a young age, Kourtney and I, whenever I travelled, we would ask her, ‘What do you want?’ And she would say, ‘I want my books?’
“Every time I travelled out of the country, I would bring her lots of books, so she has always taken school seriously.
“Sometimes, even waking up early to study before others were awake.
“As a parent, you notice these things quietly, and you pray for your child.
“Maybe, one day there will be a breakthrough. So yes, when the promotion happened from Form 1 to Form 3, I could see both the excitement and the pressure.”
She added:
“After that pressure, she had to catch up with others, she was behind.
“At that time, I did not know if she would be able to do it but she kept pushing.
“Seeing the results, you know, after the sacrifices, the long hours, and the determination, it brought so much joy and relief.
“Then the awards came out, and it was something else entirely.
“As a mother, it was difficult not to become emotional, seeing my child being recognised in front of others.
“I felt proud, grateful, and thankful to God for how far Kourtney had come. As parents, we always hope our children grow into becoming hardworking and responsible people.”
