Julio Martins recently received nine distinctions, is in top one per cent nationally for IT and physical science and reached a 90.1 per cent average in his matric results.
The CHRONICLE decided to get to know Julio, a Suideroord resident, a bit better.
He has applied to and registered at the University of the Witwatersrand for aeronautical engineering and says it is the best university in South Africa for aeronautical engineering.
He hopes to complete a post graduate degree either in Europe or the United States and dreams to one day design new, efficient and safe aircraft.
Hard work pays off
Julio went to primary school at Marist Brothers Linmeyer and moved to St Benedict’s in Grade Eight.
He always maintained high marks in primary school and was the number one tennis player in Grade Seven at Marist Brothers.
After he moved to St Benedict’s, his marks as well as sport flourished, and he received his honours blazer at St Benedict’s for academics, sport and culture, which is the highest honour the school can award a learner.
“My parents have always inspired me to work hard at everything I do and to do it at the best of my ability.
“My dad inspired me to study aeronautical engineering as he is an aeronautical engineer himself and my love for aircraft has come from him,” Julio added.
“My parents have always driven me to complete tasks to the best of my ability and solve problems as efficiently as possible through means such as coding and information technology.
“My parents, teachers and friends have helped me reach my goals,” Julio said.
Avoiding procrastination
Julio warns strongly against procrastination and said: “The last hassle you want on your hands is having to complete two massive tasks the night before the due date.
“One should develop a strong work ethic with effective time management in order to complete work of the best possible quality, in the fastest time possible, to allow for adequate time to prepare for exams and tests.”
He said the hardest part in reaching this achievement was time management.
Julio took part in many different activities at school, such as marimba, choir, piano, first team tennis, second team rowing, photography and drone videography, tech team as well as designing systems using Google for the staff, learners and prefects to use in order to make the school more efficient.
“I would say the most rewarding part of this achievement would be the multitude of doors it has opened for me,” Julio added.
Time for travel
Julio and his family travelled to Portugal on December 2, 2019, and then went to the Netherlands for three days to see Delft University of Technology.
They flew back to Portugal just before Christmas.
During the trip they visited many places such as the Palace of Mafra, multiple places along the Algarve coastline and the town of Leiria.
After New Year’s, Julio and his father flew from Lisbon to New York on January 6.
In the United States, they visited the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York and the National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio.
They also visited two universities in the United States to see their campuses which were along their route of travel from New York to Chicago.
In his free time, Julio plays the piano and watches technology-related videos.
Photography is his main hobby, as well as flying and photographing with his drone.
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