Top matriculant of 2022 shares her recipe for academic success

Kelly Grace Prowse, South Africa's top matriculant in the Class of 2022, hails from Rustenberg Girls' High School in the Western Cape, has made the province proud by placing first in Mathematics, Quintile 5, and shining brightly as the top overall learner.

While Kelly may have made it look easy, her achievements did not come without hard work. She believes that consistency and making every effort to grasp the fundamentals of the subject matter is imperative to succeeding.

Our province's top Grade 12 achiever believes that her recipe for success is replicable and shares her winning tips as she encourages the new class of matric learners to reach for the stars when it comes to achieving their educational goals.

Kelly's recipe for academic success

1. Be dedicated to understanding your work

For Kelly, discipline took place throughout her high school career. Making sure she understood new concepts and the fundamentals of each subject gave her the confidence to expand her knowledge through the grade 12 curriculum. She encourages learners to immerse themselves in the subject matter, to take an interest in what they are learning and to ask for help if they do not understand certain modules or segments of the work.

2. Go the extra mile

For Kelly, learning did not end at the end of the chapter of a textbook. "I made use of online study guides, books, documentaries and other sources of knowledge so that I had a lot of background information for every subject."

Understanding a subject and learning it to the best of your ability also requires individual inputs. She encourages learners to go the extra mile when it comes to grasping the contents of their work.

3. Pace yourself

While success requires hard work and dedication, it also requires rest.

"I made sure to use my time productively but at no point did I work excessive hours to get on top of my studies. I made sure to sleep well, eat well and take breaks so that my brain was fired up for when I needed to study," says Kelly.

Matric is a long year with many sets of exams and tests so don’t go all out at the beginning because you will face burnt out by the end. 

"If you stay consistent, keep up with the workload and do a little bit of work every day, I am sure you will achieve some great results," she says.

4. Get your mindset right

One of Kelly's most valuable pieces of advice to the Class of 2023 is to not see school as a chore. "Challenge yourself, challenge your teachers and always find ways to extend your knowledge."

"The more you make the work interesting for yourself by reading up extra material, the more motivated you will feel and the better you will do."

Next steps for Kelly 

I will be studying actuarial science this year at either the University of Cape Town or at Stellenbosch University. I am excited to challenge myself with this tricky degree and I believe that I will enjoy all it has to offer. I am particularly excited by the fact that actuaries are not bound by one field of work so I remain open to where my university degree will take me. 

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