An excited Shayna Salomon from the prestigious King David High School in Linksfield has her sights on studying medicine this year.
Salomon is one of King David High’s bright sparks who achieved great marks in her matric exams last year, with biology being her favourite subject.
She obtained distinctions in the following subjects, Afrikaans, English, Hebrew, Life Orientation, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Further Studies Mathematics (Extended, Graph Theory & Matrices, Standard Calculus & Algebra), IEB Commendable List, Top 1% English, Life Orientation.
Salomon, who describes herself as a family-oriented person who also loves being around herself, said lonesomeness during exam time was the biggest challenge she had to overcome.
Luckily for her, her supportive family was there for her when things got a bit tough in the year.
“Feeling lonely during the exam period and being trapped at home has to be the biggest challenge I have had to face during my matric year and for someone that loves being around people, that was challenging but my family was very supportive which made things easier,” she said.
She said having worked hard her entire five years of high school, she was excited about one thing - her studies and finally becoming independent.
“I am looking forward to university and just being more independent this year. I look forward to studying medicine this year, which has always been a passion of mine and something that has inspired me ... as someone who cares so deeply about others, and I have always had a part of me that has been joined the medical field. It is something that has been there since the beginning and has not changed, which is why for me medicine is my dream job,” she said.
King David Schools, under the auspices of the South African Board of Jewish Education (SABJE), has a network of 10 Jewish co-educational day schools offering nursery to high school education, as well as remedial primary school education (King David Ariel) and boasts five campuses across Johannesburg: Linksfield, Victory Park, Sandton, Minnie Bersohn and Waverley (Rosebelle Klein Nursery School).
Salomon, who described herself as a family person who loved to socialise with her friends while trying to strike a good balance between academic and social life, said she was very much a free-spirited person.
“I am a very family oriented person but also love my friends... Biology has to be my favourite subject. 2023 has been such an exciting year for me because I feel like it was just another step towards being more independent and it was wonderful being part of the matric Class of 2023 because everyone has been looking forward to spending a bit of time together while also making sure that we do not neglect our studies even though the workload was too much,” she quipped.
Salomon said being able to connect with friends and enjoying the last ride of her matric dance allowed her to create fond memories that, she said, she will cherish for a long time.
“Being able to spend time with the people you love is great and we were able to do a bit of that when we attended our matric dance which is great.”
The Star