Where are they now?
● A year has passed since Husnaa Haffajee of Al-Falaah College in Durban and Kelly Grace Prowse of Rustenburg High School in Cape Town made headlines as the top matric performers of the class of 2022.
Having attained an average of 98% for all their subjects, they have gone on to excel in their first year at university — but they agree their marks are “not quite what they were” in matric.
Remaining top achievers with clear goals, both are adamant that attitude and hard work are crucial to success and both are determined to pursue their passions.
Prowse, who lives in a flatlet at her parents’ home in Cape Town, said plans to live in university residence facilities for her first and second year had fallen through. Instead, she commutes to the University of Cape Town where she will soon start her second year studying actuarial science.
“It’s been humbling, but in a good way. And the work has been hard, which is good because otherwise I would get bored. It’s been a big adjustment, but I think I was ready and prepared for it,” she said.
Haffajee has also found it hard going. “I learnt to balance myself. After trial exams I knew I had to give everything of myself in that last push. Every day I would start working at 9am. At some point I would break for a meal, and then work again until about 9pm,” she said.
“Thankfully I know my limits and knew when I needed to stop, because if you just keep going the quality of your studying goes down, you begin to resent the material and lose your passion for what you want to do.”
While Haffajee’s time was spent mostly on self-study, Prowse found ways to let off steam. “I was very into hockey and did running. I also played the trumpet in a jazz band,” she said, adding that the end of exams forced her to relax. “I was fortunate as I was able to go away with friends right after the exams, and after Christmas we did a road trip over New Year.”
Haffajee was exhausted by the time the exams ended. As one of the recipients of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s prestigious Pius Langa scholarships, she registered for medicine and completed first year with straight As.
The transition from classrooms and individual attention to large lecture halls, huge volumes of work and an expectation to cope on her own was difficult to negotiate. This was compounded by having to engage with the adult world out there, in contrast with being confined to the world of schooling.
“It took a huge amount of adjusting and at the time it felt like everything was going slowly. But with hindsight, it feels like it all happened in a flash,” she said, expressing gratitude that her style of self-study fits well with the university work ethic.
Haffajee is ready to kick things into high gear as she embarks on her second-year studies. She has made new friends, adapted to practical subjects and remains captivated by the field of medicine.
“I would like to eventually be a specialist
Husnaa Haffajee and Kelly Prowse are still feeling their way in a world much different to school
in some field, but there is more than enough time to decide on that. I have loved first year and learning all the different systems in the body, helping us function and move and think,” she said.
“I have always wanted to go into medicine with a plan to give back and help people. Disease is such a burden on society.”
Prowse, who headed out on a two-day Cape Point hike this week, is keen to tackle the second year when classes start in February. “Just like things were in high school, I am a firm believer that university is what you make of it. And as my friends say, if you are passing, you are doing OK,” she said.
“I love what I am doing, so my plan is to continue unless I find a greater passion for something else,” she said, explaining that while her initial plan was to qualify as an actuary, she remains “open to the possibility of change”.