KZN Student Overcomes Anxiety and Depression to Obtain 8 Distinctions in Matric, Slays As UCT Business Student

• One young woman from Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal is working hard to make the dean’s list at the University of Cape Town (UCT)
• The 18-year-old obtained an impressive eight distinctions in matric, despite facing anxiety and depression during her final year of schooling
• Now, Elethu Gcabashe has the world at her feet and has a variety of career options to choose from, including accounting

A hard-working young woman from Umlazi in KZN has the world at her feet and is working hard to achieve greatness at the University of Cape Town.

Elethu Gcabashe matriculated from Zwelibanzi High school in 2023, and despite facing anxiety and depression, she obtained eight distinctions and a phenomenal 95% for maths and 93% for science, The Mercury wrote.

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Talking to Briefly News, the 18-year-old notes that while she was not diagnosed with anxiety and depression, the pressure of being in Grade 12 and various other factors were incredibly overwhelming:

“I just knew that I was not okay. There were many external factors [impacting me]; from teachers wanting to finish the syllabus so we could get more revision time, to the community knowing that I am in matric and expecting me to perform well.

“I went to school from Monday to Monday with no other things besides books to do because I knew that I had no choice if I wanted to succeed.”

The UCT accounting student is grateful to her parents for their support

The high achiever is thankful that her teachers and parents never gave up on her and were a consistent form of motivation:

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“My family, relatives and teachers really assisted me during this time by checking up on me to see if I was okay. Prayer also got me through many things.”

Elethu explains keeping her eyes on the prize was tough because her peers were having fun, but she stayed focused because she knew her end goal.

The young go-getter is currently studying for a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance with Accounting at UCT and hopes to obtain dean’s list merit awards every year until graduation.

The 18-year-old has diverse career prospects:

“I have many career options to explore, including being a Chartered Accountant. My current goal is to get a company to take me under their wing for me to gain experience and insight on the path that I am taking.”

Elethu offers current matriculants helpful advice for the future:

“Do not judge your progress using other people's results. Just take it one step at a time and appreciate small improvements. Always reflect on whether the decisions you are making are aligned with what you want for yourself.”

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UCT law graduate with chronic lung condition reflects on nearly 10-year journey to success, academic exclusion

In another inspiring story by Briefly News, a hard-working woman was thrilled about finally becoming a UCT law graduate.

The young woman faced many obstacles, with her chronic lung condition often holding her back.

Now, the beautiful woman has big dreams and plans on taking her career journey one step at a time.

Source: Briefly News