In the 18 years of her life, Mmathapelo Sigauque had never slept in a hotel but through her exceptional school work, she was recognised as one of the best pupils in the province. This recognition came with attending a school camp far from home and sleeping in a hotel.
“The first thing I did was to rush and tell my parents,” Mmathapelo recalled.
“I had never slept in a hotel before. When we arrived, I video-called my entire family, showing them every detail of my hotel room – the bed, the bathroom and the amazing food, which I loved the most.”
The camp came after being selected for the prestigious 7 out of 7 campaign, a programme honouring the top pupils in the province.
“My world transformed instantly,” she said about the recognition.
Mmathapelo, who had been aiming for eight distinction managed to get them all in Sepedi, English, Maths, life orientation, physical science, business studies, geography and life sciences.
Talking about the camp, Mmathapelo said it initially felt like a reward for her late nights of studying. However, she quickly realised it was much more than that.
Meeting other top pupils from across Gauteng and learning from new teachers made her discover the gravity of her achievement.
Soweto's Mmathapelo aspires to become mining engineer after getting 8 distinctions
Image: Supplied
In the 18 years of her life, Mmathapelo Sigauque had never slept in a hotel but through her exceptional school work, she was recognised as one of the best pupils in the province. This recognition came with attending a school camp far from home and sleeping in a hotel.
“The first thing I did was to rush and tell my parents,” Mmathapelo recalled.
“I had never slept in a hotel before. When we arrived, I video-called my entire family, showing them every detail of my hotel room – the bed, the bathroom and the amazing food, which I loved the most.”
The camp came after being selected for the prestigious 7 out of 7 campaign, a programme honouring the top pupils in the province.
“My world transformed instantly,” she said about the recognition.
Mmathapelo, who had been aiming for eight distinction managed to get them all in Sepedi, English, Maths, life orientation, physical science, business studies, geography and life sciences.
Talking about the camp, Mmathapelo said it initially felt like a reward for her late nights of studying. However, she quickly realised it was much more than that.
Meeting other top pupils from across Gauteng and learning from new teachers made her discover the gravity of her achievement.
She said one of the things she discovered as the reason for her great marks was her listening skills during the lessons.
“I'd like to believe that I'm more of a listener than studying on my own so, I used to listen attentively in class and ask questions where I didn't understand.”
“During my grade 11 year, I used to enjoy mathematics a lot because I believe that I'm more of a complex person who likes to do problem-solving.
“But this year, that has changed. I feel like I enjoy English and geography more,” she said.
As a result, Mmathapelo aspires to become a mining engineer with a focus on environmental sustainability as she is passionate about protecting nature and addressing climate change. She has been accepted at the University of Pretoria for a bachelor of mining and engineering.
“I want to combat harmful human activities like illegal dumping and burning materials, which affect air quality and the environment,” she said.
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