Johannesburg - While many South Africans saw the Covid-19 pandemic as a thing of the past, Safiyya Mayet from Parktown High School for Girls had to battle the disease in the first term of her matric year, starting 2022 off with a challenge.
Safiyya said a friend had contracted the virus before her.
She said her body was weak, and the breathing problems started to worry her.
But with the help of her family doctor and support from family and friends, she recovered.
“I was receiving get-well messages from all over, from my friends and my school. The sad thing about it is that I missed my last market day at school, but I am grateful for the gift of life,” she said.
Safiyya was named in Gauteng’s top achievers list for obtaining more than five distinctions. She obtained seven distinctions in English home language, Afrikaans first additional, maths, life orientation, history, life sciences and physical sciences.
Safiyya, who is Muslim, said her faith had helped her through many challenges, including personal struggles.
“There were times that I felt overwhelmed, but I prayed, and it brought me closer to God, and it works,” she said.
Safiyya said she wanted to help South Africa’s ailing health system by becoming a microbiologist. She said this profession would enable her to help people medically and be a scientist at the same time.
“With this career choice, I get the best of both worlds and I can still be able to help society,” she said.
According to Safiyya, her life will be back to normal this year. During her matric year, she cut down on the amount of time she spent watching television.
“My family and I used to watch a lot of Master Chef together, but last year I had to reduce my TV time because it was a distraction. This year, I plan on catching up on all the lost TV time,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to all of her teachers for their moral support and for going above and beyond the call of duty.
“The teachers treated us like their own children; they never wanted to give up on us, and that really motivated me.
“My family would also give me goodie packs with chocolates and other things just to keep my spirits up,” she said.
According to Safiyya, the attitude a pupil displays during matric will determine their results at the end of the year.
“If you tell yourself that you will pass and that you will get what you want, you will, but you have to put in the hard work,” she said.
The Star