Gangsterism motivated top Elsies achiever

Having obtained four distinctions in her 2017 National Senior Certificate exams, 17-year-old Amy Gertze says she was determined not to let her surroundings dictate her outcome.
Gertze, who was always surrounded by gangsterism, was a learner at Elsies River High School.
She says even though shootings became a part of the daily norm, she walked to school in fear.
“We stay in Salberau, which is very close to Epping Forest and Leonsdale. Near our house is a corner where gangsters always sat. There would be so many of them. Some days, when walking past them on my way to school, they would make inappropriate remarks which makes one feel uncomfortable. They would be sitting on the corner doing drugs and whatever else they do,” says Gertze.
She says because of all the activity that would happen in the area during the day, she chose to study for exams at night. 
“I used to start studying at 23:00 and nap during the day because it would often be noisy during the day.
“But there were quite a few nights that I would hear gunshots going off. The thing with the gunshots is that it always happened so unexpectedly. When it would happen, I always feared whether I’d make it for my exams and if I’d be on time. One of my biggest fears was being caught in a crossfire,” says Gertze.  
Admitting to being a “class clown” in Grade 8 and not achieving outstanding results, Gertze says when she reached Grade 10 she had a reality check: “I wasn’t happy with my results leading up to Grade 10 and felt that I was falling into the trap of disappointing myself.
“That’s when my outlook on life and my studies changed. I became very motivated and then at the end of Grade 11, I was in the top 5. The feeling of accomplishment was what motivated me even more.”
Gertze says children in school must believe that there’s always time to change and improve academically. 
“It’s really up to an individual if you want to achieve something. I’m so happy I changed my mind-set. Just because we grow up around gangsterism and drugs, doesn’t mean that it must affect our lives and what we make of it.
Gertze obtained 96% in History, 84% in Geography, 81% in Afrikaans First Additional Language and 80% in Mathematics Literacy.
She successfully made it to the school’s top five, with Kelsey Moolman taking the lead with five distinctions. Nishaat Ismail obtained three distinctions, while Courtney Brikkels and Lauren de Jongh each obtained two distinctions. 
Gertze will take the next step to achieving her goals by studying law at the University of the Western Cape this year. 
“I believe I am going to make it,” she says.