Yian Xu's Matric Year: A reflection on growth and balance

Marked by intellectual curiosity and resilience, Redhill School matriculant Yian Xu reflects on her 2025 matric year as a demanding yet transformative journey.

Xu achieved an exceptional 44 points in the final examinations, alongside academic honours and high-level achievements in computer science, mathematics and programming olympiads at both national and international levels.

Reflecting on her unsettling but transformative year, Xu described it as “chaotic, fun, nerve-wracking, challenging, and brilliant.”

The words summarise academic demands alongside personal growth, confronting her not only with challenges but also with invaluable lessons in perseverance, priorities, and self-awareness.

As one of the few students enrolled in higher-level mathematics, she faced her final exam after many of her peers had completed theirs. Emerging from the exam venue, she says she was welcomed by cheers of a surprise party organised by parents, an unexpected celebration she describes as nostalgic and a symbolic release from the weight of the year.

Xu's journey, however, was not without its hurdles. She openly admits to grappling with time management, a common struggle among students under pressure. In response, she developed inventive strategies to regain focus, including engaging in quick drawing sessions to clear her mind.

“Whenever I felt overwhelmed by work, I would take a 20-minute time-out session to just draw something impromptu,” she explained, highlighting how art became a source of calm in tumultuous times.

At the heart of her success were the dedicated teachers and staff at Redhill School who supported her throughout her extensive travels for mathematics and programming competitions worldwide. She expressed deep gratitude towards her parents for their unwavering emotional support and to her friends, who remained a formidable source of motivation during the high-stakes period. strategies to regain focus, including engaging in quick drawing sessions to clear her mind. “I am endlessly grateful for all the teachers and staff at Redhill who dealt with not only my academic but also logistical shenanigans. I travelled a lot over the course of the year to attend maths and programming competitions overseas,” she said. 

Rather than fostering tight study routines, Xu adopted a more flexible approach, rooted in sustainability and rest. “I tried to enjoy the questions on every paper I wrote,” she shared, emphasising a shift in her mindset towards engagement with her subjects rather than becoming overly fixated on grades. 

Looking towards the future, Xu aspires to study mathematics at university.

She reveals that she believes in its unparalleled power as a catalyst for innovation and development. With a vision of contributing meaningfully to South Africa, Xu sees mathematics as foundational to advancements in science, technology, and equitable education.

“I want to study mathematics at university. This has been my plan for a very long time now. At first, my reason was because I enjoyed the process of maths and problem-solving. However, as I have learnt more, I have also become more and more convinced of the value of mathematics as a tool. Maths is the foundation of every science and an extremely insightful window into society at large. I think maths is the starting point for innovation and development in South Africa,” she said.

In a message to future matriculants, Xu advocates for balance and self-compassion.

“In the midst of deadlines and assessments, it’s easy to forget to relax,” she cautioned, reminding her peers that rest is not a sign of weakness but a necessary component of success.

In an inspiring culmination of hard work and creative problem-solving, Redhill School’s Yian Xu exemplifies the power of balance and resilience in a demanding matric year.

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Saturday Star