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End 2011 Report:
This term I experienced the feeling of being proud, not as a personality trait, but of myself. I loved this feeling and was glad to realise that no person could take it away from me…my many years of working hard had truly paid off. This is how I felt when I was elected prefect for the year 2012. To my very inquisitive, flamboyant and real personality…thank you.
Thank you Flamboyance for: putting a smile on my face even when I was going through hills of trouble. Yes, you might have deceived many in doing so; however, you helped me face each challenge with nothing but a positive mindset and courage. And thank you Inquisitive for encouraging my hunger for knowledge. I may not have been the best at general knowledge; however I haven’t stop learning as I put you by my side. And lastly, I am most thankful of my Real personality. You have kept me grounded in all that I have involved myself…bringing me humility in all respects. I have stayed true to myself due to your presence and won many good hearts. As a result, I have remained effortlessly thankful of any opportunity given to me. One’s background really doesn’t foreshadow their future and I have experienced this first hand.
Camps Bay High was my new start: academically and socially. It was a start where there were no pre-conceived formed ideas about me, or even attachments…other than stereotypes of course. I was given the power to make adjustments in what I thought was wrong and to fix it in my new life…I did exactly that. It felt good, knowing that I had a good chance at leaving a legacy as the student next to me. I now leave a legacy to current and future Kay Mason Foundation scholars. As I hand over my badge at the end of my office, my only wish is to hand it over to a family member; one of my many KMF brothers and sisters. I believe that I have started a tradition; may it carry on and grow from strength to strength. Let this badge be implanted with Kay Mason blood. I am proud of myself as I have had to: adjust to many things, learn new things, find my true self in a very foreign world at the time, stay humble and responsible. With all of the above on my shoulders, I have been able to prove worthy of being a leader. When asked what was my motivation to be a prefect, I told the voters that I knew by being a prefect, I would be helping to raise funds for future Kay Mason scholars because everyone wants to invest in a leader. Thank you Kay Mason Foundation for all that you have done for me.
On the night of Celebration, I received the Xhosa subject prize. I felt proud knowing that I had excelled in a Nguni language, even though I am not Xhosa. As part of the prize, I received a bookstore voucher that will, hopefully, be put into good use during the upcoming holidays.
Francesca, my Italian exchange friend, was in the country in September. We lived together, I showed her around and took her to a few local shopping spots. After all her sightseeing trips, she kept telling me how beautiful my country was and how fortunate I was to live here. This is something many of us take for granted, the beauty of our country. Who knew that Table Mountain could be part of the Seven Wonders of the World? She was quite amazed by our friendliness and I must say I was not the least bit surprised by her mentioning this. During my time in Italy not once was I greeted as I walked on the street. What also shocked her was how welcoming our school was, as everyone tried to make conversation with her while I was busy modeling the ramp of our grade’s fashion show. I now have an amazing friend, who has promised to stay in contact with me forever. Many even said we have the same facial features. We shared many laughs together and confided in each other with almost everything (you’d be surprised to know that Italian teenagers have to deal with the same issues as us). I now have a sister that I miss a lot!
A Grade 11 fashion show took place in September and I was a part of it. It was a good way of integrating the grade before taking on a leadership role as a matriculant. Many modeled and I was one of those, while others stayed backstage to make sure everything operated well. My friend and I were show-stoppers as we brought the event to a close in style.
During the holidays, I attended a Career Fair which focused on trying to help the youth choose their careers. It included a lot of motivational speaking and guest speakers who came and spoke to us about their chosen fields, the constraints involved in choosing A particular field and remuneration. I now feel settled and motivated enough to go into the field of Finance and Charted Accountancy. I will be doing this through a Business Science Degree. Choosing this career was not much of a hassle for me as I have always known that I want to be part of it; however, I have always doubted myself. Attending the Career Fair helped and encouraged me, bringing all the doubts and hesitations to a stop. Other people’s opinions do not matter anymore because I know that I am more than capable of doing this degree.
I was chosen as a committee member to do the Public Relations of the Interact Society. This includes keeping the image of the society good and making sure we market our events beforehand. Just recently, we hosted a Halloween Party for disabled children from an orphanage we always work with. It was very successful as we made them feel special, decorating three classrooms by the themes: superheroes, fairies and general Halloween. We took many pictures with them and gave them fairy dresses and costumes to wear. I was honoured to be part of such an event and I cannot wait for our next project.
Thank You very much for your support.
It means everything to me.
Desiree
Mid- 2011 Report:
Academic Report 19th April 2011
My academic year started on a high. Due to my average being over 75%, I received a merit award. This was presented as a certificate and a scroll, which I sewed onto my blazer. This put me under a lot of pressure to end the first term well but I felt positive about doing so.
I was also selected to be in one of the top 30 Mathematics classes, where only the best academic students feature. In the class, there is a lot of competition and nobody wants to be the one with the lowest mark.
With the Italian Exchange being a bit of a distraction, I had already concluded that I wouldn’t make the top 15 of the grade. With my average as 79.67% I was placed in the top 15 as 13th. My marks were: 5 As, 1B and 1C in English. This mark upset me a lot because I love the subject and find it unfair that my marks have to decrease due to a change in teaching methods.
Last term, I played first team basketball. Although I must admit, I’m not the best player, I was able to get a team award of a scroll and certificate.
I was also selected to play first team hockey. The training sessions are intense though because I am unfit for hockey. I also wrote the English Olympiad, organised by De Beers. It involves mainly creative writing and a lot of reading.
These are my achievements for the first term. I have also been chosen as a librarian and help out at the library every first break on Fridays. I really enjoy this job as I am interested in books. I will also be receiving a scroll, a student librarian badge and certificate for my initiative.
I am proud of myself as I have managed to acquire three certificates in one term. Thank you to the Kay Mason Foundation and my donors for having faith in me.
Regards,
Desiree Mbali Khubekha
PREVIOUS NEWS:
On the first day of school everyone was given a timetable, which had numbers that tell you in which class you are in. I was stunned to see that my number was one, which meant that I was in the top ranking class, and one of two people who were representing the Foundation in top classes. Even though this was exciting, it was also daunting because it meant that I had to work very hard to stay on top. I don’t think I worked as hard as I should have, but that is going to change next term. I did get good marks though.
At times I felt left out, as if I did not belong in the class, but I had some of my old friends to rely on; they were always positive and supportive and they showed me that one can get fun out of schoolwork.
I had a major disruption in my personal life. My mother was admitted in hospital on the day I was suppose to go to a party with my friends so I had to cancel. My mother tried to convince that there was nothing wrong with her but I was not going to take any chances so I decided to be by her side which gave us time to catch up on time lost.
This year we got a new drama teacher, but this did not prove difficult because I am a person who can easily adjust. This new teacher did not know me so I took it upon myself to initiate a relationship, and I asked her if she knew any good casting agencies. She did manage to hold one for me and I was very happy because this meant that I could earn extra money doing what I love. I have one problem with being good in drama though: because I’m good, everyone wants to be in my group and I have difficulty choosing who goes in my group.
I wrote a math Olympiad so I could add to my high school testimonial. It was very complex but I reckon I did pretty well.
Thanks very much to the KMF for the help.
WHO I AM:
My name is Desiree Mbali Kubheka and I am 16 years old.
I live in Litna Park, Khayelitsha in a two-bedroom house.
I live with my mother, stepfather and two brothers who are 21 and 10.
My mother started out as a cleaner for the City of Cape Town. She worked in a call centre agency and whenever she had time, would spend time with call centre workers and teach herself how to use a computer.
She ended up being one of the call centre workers through perseverance and dedication.
My stepfather is self-employed. Due to corruption and violence in my neighbourhood, he came up with a very innovative business idea, which was to start making burglar bars and gates.
This is just a briefing of how we make ends meet at home.
I live in a community, which encourages violence, alcohol, crime and teenage pregnancy.
Girls do not value themselves, their bodies or anymore. It is not easy being different, and by different I mean: reading novels, taking part in sports at school and abstaining from some social activities.
You become an outcast are sidelined as well as discriminated against. There is a lot of peer pressure, which makes living there difficult.
I share a bedroom with my older brother. He dropped out from college due to not being able to afford tuition. It is not private neither is it helpful when I have projects due and tests coming up.
I get home from sports at 18:30; do my chores until 20:00, sleep till 23:00 and wake up at 1:00 to do my usual early morning studying.
I then sleep at 03:30 and wake up for school at 04:30. I know this is not a healthy lifestyle for someone as young as me, but to achieve my goals, this is what I must do.
Before I was part of the Kay Mason Foundation, I attended a primary school which was not very good.
We didn’t have sports, societies or any other facilities.
I now attend Camps Bay High School and have been placed in the top of my year several times.
Recently, I received an Academic merit, because I achieved an average of over 15% for both the June and December exams.
I also got a Merit for an English Olympiad I wrote sponsored by De Beers.
At school, I am involved in the choir, Interact, interhouse plays, first team basketball, PR for upcoming events and lots more.
When I grow up, I would like to be a financial director for a major company.
Without the Kay Mason Foundation and my kind donors, I would be in the townships, probably with a two-year-old son or daughter, trying to feed them.
However, the Foundation and my donors have helped me achieve my goals and be where I am today. They take a constant interest in how I am doing, make sure I have everything I need and have the brightest prospects for the future.
Through their help and my school, I have learnt to be confident, competitive, strong and have pride.
Thank you,
As a person I am talkative, intelligent, outgoing and most people say that I am a drama queen. I make my friends laugh a lot.
I have also decided that I’m going to be one of the sponsors of the KMF. If not, I’m definitely opening a school, just like Oprah Winfrey, for children who are less fortunate.
I BELIEVE EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS.
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