From rural KZN to medical school — with help from FoondaMate

My name is Zamokuhle Dube. I live in a town called Madlankala with my mom and brother. It’s a tough area, and growing up I was exposed to some difficult things.

It’s not safe for girls where I live

Listen to Zamokuhle describe her experience in Madlankala

Many kids get involved in crime, girls get pregnant at a very young age and many of them don’t finish school. My mother was very strict though, and made sure I stayed on track and focused on my school work. If she hadn’t been so strict, I don’t think I would be where I am today.

I was excluded by other girls because of the school I went to

Listen to Zamokuhle explain the social consequences of moving to a different school

My mother registered me at Sikhulangemfundo – a more rigorous school where there would be less temptation. The school was far away, and I had to take two taxis every day just to get there and back. We started having extra classes and I had to come to school early and stay late which led me to be excluded by the girls from my area, accusing me of being too full of myself.

The school I was at was notoriously strict. They prioritise education first above sport or other extra mural activities. The principal and the teachers sacrifice a lot for their students and will always go above and beyond for their students, and I am very grateful for them.

FoondaMate helped me boost my grades

Listen to Zamokuhle describe how she used FoondaMate to improve her grades

I started using FoondaMate to help familiarise myself with the ways that exam papers are structured. I used FoondaMate to download past questions papers and practiced with them so I could see how I did and where I needed to improve. FoondaMate also helped me get used to the type of questions asked in an exam. Getting comfortable with the ways questions are structured really paid off because many questions were basically asked in the same manner.

I got accepted to study medicine at UKZN

I ended up matriculating with a distinction and got accepted to study medicine at UKZN. Varsity life is tough, but I’m determined to improve my grades and hopefully earn a bursary or even graduate cum laude in the future.

I want to work on bettering myself everyday by being close to people who work hard and inspire me to be the best version of myself.