Boksburg top achiever turns matric success into a mission for justice
After achieving eight distinctions and ranking in the top 1% nationally, a Boksburg matriculant is pursuing a career in forensic pathology to help families find answers she never had.
Alyssa João is the top matric achiever at St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls, placing in the top 1% nationally for life sciences and English in the 2025 IEB matric examinations.
With eight distinctions, Alyssa plans to study medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, with the long-term goal of becoming a forensic pathologist.
Her career choice is deeply personal and shaped by the disappearance of her aunt, Desiree, who went missing in 2000, leaving her family without answers.
“I don’t want families to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to a loved one. Forensic pathology allows me to identify people and bring closure to families,” she said.
Her achievements are part of St Dominic’s strong overall 2025 IEB results, which included a 100% pass rate, 99% bachelor’s degree pass rate, and 210 distinctions, with 95.24% of learners achieving at least one distinction.
The school also produced seven national top 1% subject placements, two of which were achieved by Alyssa.
Reflecting on her performance, Alyssa said the outcome exceeded her expectations.
“I feel ecstatic about my achievement because I didn’t expect to do this well. The way I got here was hard work and a lot of heavy metal music. I spent 217 hours studying for the finals alone, and that was after approximately a month of prelim writing.”
Also Read: WATCH: Celebration and relief as matric results bring joy at local IEB schools
Beyond academic success, Alyssa has developed a strong interest in the broader challenges facing South Africa’s justice system. She has spoken about the high number of unidentified bodies in the country and the limitations in DNA analysis and identification, which she believes contribute to unresolved missing-person and cold cases.
She hopes to one day play a role in improving forensic DNA collection and classification systems, which could assist in identifying unknown victims and bringing closure to families who have waited years for answers.
Alyssa also shared advice for current and future matric learners, encouraging them to focus on effort rather than pressure. “Just do your best. That’s all you can do.”
Also Read: #IEBMatricResults: Release of IEB results brings joy and celebrations
Her determination has been evident to those closest to her. Her brother, Jesse João, described her work ethic at home.
“When she gets home, she sits behind her desk, blasts heavy metal music, and sometimes sings while she gets going. She does not stop until she gets what she wants. I’m super proud of her,” he said.
