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Firm Belief, Seek Excellence: The Growth of a Top Student



Hello, I’m Taku from Zimbabwe and I’m 17 years old, currently studying in DP1 at UWC Dilijan. I have 2,558 followers on Instagram, but there are no posts on my page. People follow me mainly because I scored A’s in all 20 subjects on the Zimbabwean standardized exams. I started using Instagram during the pandemic in 2020. Since we couldn’t attend school, I felt bored and wanted to have more followers. Our class also talked about how to gain more followers, so I began sharing chess videos and related content. Over time, people started following me, and many also followed me because of my academic achievements.

Actually, I wasn’t always a top student. In primary school, I ranked 19th in my class and wasn’t very focused on my studies. I spent more time playing and didn’t study much. But over time, I realized I needed to change, so I started studying harder. My mother, who is a police officer, created a very detailed study plan for me, even specifying what I had to do every hour. This structure helped me improve my grades, and eventually, I became the top student in my class.

I started playing chess in the second grade and enjoyed it a lot. At first, my good friend taught me, but over time, I got better and became the strongest chess player in my school. By eighth and ninth grade, I participated in national competitions, even competing in older age groups. I won first place twice. After becoming the national champion, I decided to end my chess career and shift to other interests, especially programming, which is my passion now.

In terms of my academic achievements, I chose 20 subjects, which is the most challenging option in Zimbabwe. I had to self-study many of the subjects because most schools don’t offer so many courses. Although some classmates thought I was taking on too much and questioned whether I could handle it, I proved them wrong by achieving all A’s in every subject. I often heard doubts about my choices, but I didn’t mind because I always believed that “If you work hard, be more determined, pray, and have faith, everything will go smoothly.” This saying has been my motivation.

I decided to transfer to UWC mainly because my previous school environment no longer supported my growth. Although I had excellent grades at my old school, my classmates would often say, “You got all A’s in 20 subjects, but we took fewer subjects, and we’re still sitting in the same classroom.” This made me realize I needed a better platform for my development. UWC provides me with such an opportunity, and in the future, I hope to connect with people from around the world and continue to improve myself.


- Taku

Zimbabwe


Letian|Content curator

Iris|Editor

孙逸铭|Translator

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At The Discourse, we strive to bridge the divide between identities by sharing the personal stories of culturally marginalized individuals. 

 

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