Chat with three outstanding A-Level exams students from the Independent School |28 July 2021
From Left Sanjeetha Pillay, Ronnieanne Govinden and Amariah Rigodon
Sanjeetha Pillay, AmariahRigodon, Ronnieanne Govinden excel in spite of the pandemic
Exams are not just a test of brilliance but the perseverance to be brilliant constantly!
Seychelles NATION met three outstanding students from the Independent School whosat for their A-Level exams in December 2020 and managed to excel in spite ofthe difficult situation of the Covid-19 pandemic which is heavily impacting teaching and learning the world over.
Sanjeetha Pillay (best across four, Cambridge International A-Level); AmariahRigodon (best across three, Cambridge International A-Level) and RonnieanneGovinden (high achievement Cambridge International A-Level). The three completed their A-Levels in December and after receiving their results they are now getting ready to start a new phase in their lives.
Seychelles NATION congratulates all those who have worked very hard during these unprecedented times as they all deserve to be celebrated.
Seychelles NATION: Please tell our readers who you are.
Sanjeetha Pillay:I am Sanjeetha Pillay and I am 19 years old and a student of the A-Level 2020 class at Independent School.
Seychelles NATION: What subjects did you take at A-Level and what are your grades?
Sanjeetha Pillay: I took Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A-Levels and received A*s for all.
Seychelles NATION: You sat for your A-Level exams during an unprecedented time – the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down. Tell us how you managed to stay focus?
Sanjeetha Pillay:When the country first went into lockdown and the schools were shut down, it was quite strange to adapt to the sudden switch of learning online. I found myself beginning to slack off due to the lack of distinction between school and home. Fortunately, I was able to get myself back on track by planning and sticking to schedules with clear separations for study and leisure. Having self-discipline and prioritising my goals were essential to remaining focused.
Seychelles NATION: What was your routine of study and how did you balance your life?
Sanjeetha Pillay:I have never spent hours and hours on end studying. Instead, I try to keep on top of all the lessons being covered at school by allocating some time every day to focus entirely on studies while spending the rest of the day on whatever I like. This method has helped me refrain from mental stress caused by large piles of unfinished work and overwhelming deadlines. When studying for exams, I make sure to take sufficient break time between each study session and I tend not to work on the same type of tasks for long periods of time to avoid work becoming too repetitive.
Seychelles NATION: What’s next for you in terms of further studiesand why are you choosing this path?
Sanjeetha Pillay: I will be pursuing a degree in finance at a university in the United Kingdom. I believe that it is an interesting field which is of high demand in Seychelles with a promising future.
Seychelles NATION: What advice would you give to other young people out there?
Sanjeetha Pillay:Work hard and work smart to achieve your dreams and don't forget to live life in the process.
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Seychelles NATION: Please tell our readers who you are.
Ronnieanne Govinden:My name is RonieanneGovinden. I am the eldest of four siblings. I am 19 yearsold and I went to Independent School Seychelles from kindergarten up to A-Levels.
Seychelles NATION: What subjects did you take at A-Level and what are your grades?
Ronnieanne Govinden:My subjects were A-Level Geography (A*), A-Level English Literature (A), A-Level Business (A*).
Seychelles NATION: You sat for your A-Level exams during an unprecedented time – the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down. Tell us how you managed to stay focus?
Ronnieanne Govinden: Doing a lot of my second year of A-Levels online was really challenging especially because we were new to a lot of the platforms such as Google classroom and this made it hard to move at the same pace through the syllabus with our teachers. It was also mentally hard because home was usually a place where I relaxed but now it was just the same place where I would stress about school, but I’m glad I had my classmates and teachers to help me stay calm and give me support. I’m super grateful that I had friends to help me out with questions and notes when my teachers weren’t available.
Seychelles NATION:What was your routine of study and how did you balance your life?
Ronnieanne Govinden:I usually wrote down my notes as teachers spoke in class in order to compile what I read in the book along with what the teachers said so I could get more concise notes. In addition, I would go over topics on the same day that we did them in class in order to retain the information better.
Closer to the exams I was basically just doing past papers in the exact exam conditions to see how much of my study notes I understood and remembered. This also helped me learn how to answer my questions in the exam the way the examiners wanted us to and prepared me for tackling the anxiety of exam day.
Keeping a balanced social life was not easy but as any A-Level students would know, without a break now and then with your family and friends, you’d just work till you drop. In that sense, it was also really hard because during lockdown we could not see family and friends so I developed my skills in cooking and baking at home that I’ve now turned into a small business and Instagram page.
Seychelles NATION:What’s next for you in terms of further studies and why are you choosing this path?
Ronnieanne Govinden: I have been accepted to do my Law degree at the Queen Mary University of London in England. I chose law because it’s a very dynamic subject that would broaden my path for anything I want to do in the future. Furthermore, my parents are also Supreme Court judges so I’ve grown up around law all of my life. Hence, not only do I admire it as a profession, I also value the importance of the legal system as an independent and integral pillar of our society that I would hopefully be able to be part of to make a difference. Moreover, I am also looking forward to the challenge of studying such a demanding subject like law at university.
Seychelles NATION: What advice would you give to other young people out there?
Ronnieanne Govinden: Learning is one of the most enjoyable things you can do and we have the opportunity to go to school and do our best and we should be grateful that we have this chance. We should do our best because not only will it make us better but because then we can make our society better in the future. You can lose everything you have in life but one thing you’ll never lose is your knowledge and that’s why it’s so important to educate yourself.
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Seychelles NATION: Please tell our readers who you are.
AmariahRigodon:My name is Amariah Rigodon. I completed my A-Level studies at Independent School last year and I’m currently interning at the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT) in the software development section.
Seychelles NATION:What subjects did you take at A-Level and what are your grades?
Amariah Rigodon:I studied Computer Science, Business, History and Mathematics and scored three A*s and an A.
Seychelles NATION:You sat for your A-Level exams during an unprecedented time – the Covid-19 pandemic and lock down. Tell us how you managed to stay focus
Amariah Rigodon: Honestly, it wasn’t easy to concentrate when lockdown began and all classes were moved online. I lost all motivation, especially when last year’s cohort didn’t get to go to university and I assumed that this would be the case for us too. But everything changed once I figured out what career I wanted to pursue. Knowing why I was doing this was key in remaining focused. Additionally, I hung inspirational quotes on my bedroomand study roomwalls. These helped me stay motivated.
Seychelles NATION: What was your routine of study and how did you balance your life?
Amariah Rigodon: I wrote down a study plan and I followed it to the maximum extent. It was truly hard sometimes but every time I thought of my goal I’d feel determined again. During the term, I used my free periods at school to complete most of my homework so that at home, I could focus on studying. A few months before the exams, I studied for a minimum of 10 hours per day to ensure that I covered the entire syllabus. Most importantly, I took breaks every now and then in order to prevent burn out. Having a plan, made it much easier for me to divide my time between completing school work, socialising and doing other activities. It all comes down to time management.
Seychelles NATION: What’s next for you in terms of further studies and why are you choosing this path?
Amariah Rigodon:If everything goes according to plan, I will be heading to Aston University in the United Kingdom this year where I will pursue my Bachelor’s degree in computer science and business. I chose this degree because it offers flexibility,it will allow me to work in numerous fields such as banking, marketing and computing. But my heart is in the latter.I aspire to become a software developer. Technology is rapidly becoming part of every aspect of life, thus I’m certain that I will always have a job if I go into this field.
Seychelles NATION: What advice would you give to other young people out there?
Amariah Rigodon:My advice to the youthwould be:First, be sure of what you want. Don’t let others determine your future,they can help you reach your target but that is it. The rest is up to you. There will be times when you want to give up, hence you should set yourself a goal, so that every time, when you are either doubting yourself or on the brink of quitting, you can always remind yourself why you started in the first place.
Compiled by VidyaGappy