After reading my fellow classmate, and long-time friend, Kaajal Brijlall’s post on Facebook I am a little embarrassed to write any form of follow-up. Kaajal is a doctor on the front lines during a global pandemic, and here I am trying to remember to keep my hands sanitised and the pineapple-based refreshments from exploding. During my time at Kloof High School, I would refer to Kaajal as Dr. Brijlall – I always knew that this friend of mine sported the heart and drive to achieve her dreams. My dreams and goals, however, are still far from realized and have only recently become clearer. Yet, I hope that one day my endeavors will prove to be fruitful or at the very least entertaining enough for a short Facebook article.
In short, my claim to fame is that I completed my undergraduate degree at Yale University where I was awarded a double major in Sociology and African Studies with distinction. My thesis research projects focused on social network analysis and cultural sociology investigating nation-building policy and the “monumentalisation” of politically important spaces. Upon graduating, I committed to studying Chinese intensively in Beijing over the summer of 2018 and have since been working as a fellow for the Yale-China Association, a 120-year-old organization devoted to establishing healthcare and education programs in China. While working in China, I have been studying my MSC. in Public Policy through the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. COVID permitting, I am slated to begin my doctorate this August at the University of Notre Dame where I will be working as a research assistant and doctoral student conducting comparative analysis on how societies negotiate past injustices, diversity, and collective identities with a focus on developing world contexts. Long-story-short, I am a huge nerd interested in understanding the social dynamics of societies that are plagued with specters of past-atrocities, such as our own, and how these injustices are addressed and framed under different political regimes.
My time at Kloof High School provided a foundation from which I was able to establish an adaptive and resilient approach to education and life’s setbacks. Mark Twain once noted that he had “never let schooling interfere with his education,” while at Kloof I was fortunate to be in an environment in which education was properly understood. In 2011, I won an award that came with a substantial cash prize for the school. KHS allowed me to contribute part of this award towards a trip on one of Mr. Holding’s “Euro-tours,” a trip I could never have afforded without the help and support of the school. My tour to Turkey, Greece, and Italy as a part of Kloof High School has forever altered my approach to understanding the world in which we live, and the diversity of life and culture that exists around us. Most importantly, the trip proved to demonstrate the significance of self-motivated study and passion, rather than a focus on the narrow confines of test-taking. Education is far more complex than our matric final results, these are an important but insufficient component of what it means to be educated; to be able to learn and to pursue a greater understanding of the world in which we live. I believe a good education combines the necessity of schooling with compassion, purpose and the freedom to pursue your own intellectual interests. This can only be done in an environment where staff understand and dedicate themselves to that purpose. I am fortunate to have had such an environment at Kloof High School.
I began writing this fearing I would have nothing much to say, but now I can’t seem to find the space to squeeze everything in. There is one thing I would like to impress upon students, especially in the times we live in, about the notion of education and its importance. Again, I have to rely on another quote from an even older figure. Aristotle noted that “the mark of an educated mind is one that can entertain an idea without having to accept it.” I’d encourage all of us to heed this advice because it demonstrates how important it is to listen and understand another’s’ point of view. Please, don’t be someone who dismisses other people’s perspectives based on prejudice. Listen, entertain the idea – and then respond. You will learn something every time you choose to engage in this manner, even if they do not sway your original position. The world is full of people talking past each other, talking to one another is far more important and conducive; it is a counterweight to a society intent on creating problems rather than solving them.
I want to extend my encouragement to all of the current students at Kloof, and especially those in Matric. These are trying times, and I urge you to take advantage of every opportunity you have at the moment to best prepare for both your matric examinations and life thereafter. Value your teachers at Kloof, and more importantly value your friends. That doctor I mentioned in the opening paragraph, Dr. Brijlall, she taught me maths and science my matric year – in a way, I could better understand than our classes. I have lived abroad for six years, but every birthday we celebrate – we are both January babies – I look forward to sending and receiving a long message of life updates and congratulations from and to her. Kaajal was one of a number of friends that helped me realize my potential at Kloof, and I hope you are all able to experience a similar friendship while at KHS.
I love telling people I went to Kloof High School after they learn that I graduated from an Ivy League University. There seems to be an accepted, false equivalence between the money spent on schooling and the procurement of an education. Don’t make this mistake, focus on the latter and you will be on the road to doing remarkable things. Remember to cherish your friends, welcome challenges, and make the most of the opportunities afforded to you at Kloof and you will “be the best that you can be.”
