Johannesburg – Janke van Dyk, the top achieving matriculant in 2017, said she and her family would be braaiing on Friday to celebrate her achievement.
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After that, the dedicated learner plans on taking on a degree in chemical engineering at Stellenbosch University, believing it will feed her interest in mathematics and science.
Van Dyk, who matriculated from Bellville High School in the Western Cape, said she didn’t expect to be the top achieving matriculant in 2017.
ALSO READ: 'I want to study for the rest of my life,' says top performing matriculant
"I was really surprised, I feel so honoured now, I was very emotional when they called out my name," she said after the announcement of the matric results in Johannesburg on Thursday evening.
"I guess we’re going to braai tomorrow (Friday) and celebrate," she said.
Hard work and planning
Van Dyk, who had to balance her academics with her tennis programme, said hard work and planning was key.
"I would say, it sounds like a cliché, but you have to work hard from the beginning, revise the work every day, plan ahead to make sure you have enough time to prepare for every subject, especially when the exams come around," she said.
ALSO READ: Limpopo top matric achiever hopes to improve communities using passion for maths
"I try to really plan ahead, to not be caught off guard if anything happened, especially when the exams started, I made sure I revised a few weeks beforehand."
Van Dyk said one of the biggest challenges for her during the year was the large amount of work that she had to do in a very short time.
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In a handout at the event, Van Dyk was quoted as saying she would like to change the mindset of the people of South Africa to eliminate all the hate and negativity.
WATCH: 'I tried to plan ahead and not be caught off-guard'
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