Humble circumstances drive Keletso higher
ON THE outskirts of Pretoria, 2017 matric pupil Keletso Makobe now holds a position in the top five of her school.
The 17-year-old, from the village of Madidi and a matriculant at Ntolo Secondary School, said her humble surroundings would not determine her outcome in life.
She majored in commercial subjects in her matric year last year, and said she wished to get at least three distinctions to make her grandmother and her younger siblings proud.
With her hectic studying schedule she doubted she would score low marks.
“My journey to the end of my schooling days was hectic and it was challenging,” she said. “I did not want to disappoint my grandmother, whom I live with, come January when the results came out.
“I’m not afraid of anything and I didn’t have sleepless nights. All I was worried about was how many distinctions I was going to get.”
Her aim was to get distinctions in accounting, English and economics.
“In my mind I’ve always pictured the moment I get my hands on my results. I won’t look through the newspaper but will go straight to the school to avoid disappointment because sometimes mistakes happen when matric results are published.
“My grandmother was very supportive and didn’t want to see my friends in our yard. She also went to great lengths to wake me up at night to study.
“When there was no electricity she would light candles for me to study. By studying hard and hoping for distinctions I want to make my grandmother and four siblings see that beyond our village there is life.
“I want to be a headstart to our family. I want to show my younger siblings that if you put your mind to anything it is possible.
“I want them to see firsthand experience that there is no one who will come down and take me out of Madidi and take me to greener pastures.
“It is me who will work hard to get out of this place and make my family proud. And I assured my family that I will get distinctions. My background encouraged me to work hard,” the teenager said.
She said her school was being undermined by community members who said it had no hope and was at the bottom of the barrel. But this year they would be shocked as she thought the school would do better than in previous years.
Her mindset throughout her matric year was that anything was possible and whenever she sat down to study she thought of being at university, studying chartered accountancy or anything related to accounting.