Aspiring animator Gabriella De Almeida reflects on her matric journey at Pinnacle College Rynfield. Picture: Supplied.
Gabriella De Almeida, a Class of 2024 learner at Pinnacle College Rynfield, reflected on how time felt short for exam preparations. However, she emphasised that adapting to the workload eventually made it more manageable.
"I found my matric year to be the most academically challenging, not because of the difficulty of work content but rather the workload in a short period of time. However, after some adjustments, the work became more manageable. I enjoyed preparing for my final exams as knowing how close I was to completing the year and being able to pursue my dream career was very exciting."
The 18-year-old obtained six distinctions for the 2024 IEB matric exams.
Gabriella shared that the highlight of her matric year was showcasing her artwork. She expressed pride in having her academic work and artwork displayed together, calling it her greatest achievement.
"The highlight of my matric year was getting to set up my matric final artwork exhibition. Art is my greatest passion and getting to see my year's worth of hard work displayed all together was extremely rewarding," said De Almeida.
She further shared that she aspires to become an animator and to pursue her studies at the University of Pretoria.
During the peak of COVID-19, she shared that she didn’t find her academics particularly challenging. However, the experience taught her the importance of being independent and staying focused. She stated that although her academics were not particularly challenging during the peak of COVID-19, the experience taught her valuable lessons on independence and focus.
"I found the greatest challenge of the pandemic to be my social life rather than my academic experience, however, I was extremely lucky to have wonderful friends and family who maintained social connections with me even if it was through a phone."
She advises the Class of 2025 that the most important thing is to work towards their dreams, remembering that challenges are temporary. She encourages them to stay true to themselves throughout the journey.
The Star
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