Class of 2020 matriculant Jordan Francis Engelbrecht, a former head girl from Hartbeespoort, achieved seven distinctions in her final matric exams.
Johannesburg - Jordan Francis Engelbrecht, a former head girl from Hartbeespoort who achieved seven distinctions in her final matric exams, said she worked hard to lead by example last year to inspire her classmates during the coronavirus pandemic.
Engelbrecht, who was a learner at Pecanwood College, told The Star that as the head girl of the private school she had extra responsibilities last year, and she had wanted to help show her fellow learners how they could best deal with the Covid-19 crisis.
“That was quite challenging because when the lockdown eased and the matrics went back to school, I stayed at home because I am too scared of the virus, and I didn’t want to put my family at risk, because my parents are high-risk,” she said.
Engelbrecht added that while “remote learning at home”, she tried to be a good learner and work hard while attending to her head girl duties.
She said she tried to do as much as possible while protecting her parents.
“We had online assemblies, and in that way I could play my part and try to motivate everyone, because everyone was struggling during that time,” she said.
Engelbrecht is the top achiever at the school, and managed to obtain an average mark of 86.43% for her subjects in the finals.
She achieved distinctions in English, Afrikaans, Maths, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Business Studies and life orientation.
The matriculant, who used to play water polo, run and ride horses, said not being able to play sport and interact in person with her teammates during the pandemic was disappointing, but she remained determined to keep fit at home.
“I was into fitness and running … but I chose not to do it in a public place, so I found other ways to keep healthy and exercise,” she said.
She added that her school’s sport department had an online exercise programme, which allowed her to continue leading by example, to show her classmates how they could stay healthy and active.
Engelbrecht is hoping to be a student at Stellenbosch University this year, where she would like to study towards a BSc in agriculture, specialising in soil science.
“I’m a very outdoorsy person and really love plants and the fact that they give life to other life, (and) the subject opens a lot of doors,” she said.
Following her undergraduate studies, she said she might consider studying genetics.
The Star
* For more Matric Results news subscribe to IOL’s Education Newsletter here.
Related Topics: