Tamron Saais makes academic history at Mitchell House

POLOKWANE – This was her response when asked how she managed to achieve such impressive results in last year’s final examinations.

Tamron recently made Mitchell House history by becoming the first learner at the school to receive honours for academics, something she says was a surreal feeling.

“It’s weird to ‘make history’ and to have people at school say they look up to me, because I just felt like it was a logical conclusion to continuous hard work,” she says.

Tamron says it was a humbling experience, nevertheless, and it has motivated her to work even harder.

Born in Pretoria, Tamron and her family moved around a lot as her father was in the military.

She attended pre-primary school in Cape Town and primary school at Sentraal Laerskool in Bloemfontein. The family made Polokwane their home in 2012 and she began school at Noorderland before moving to Mitchell House.

“Growing up was a very interesting process for me as I had to adapt to new people and schools very often.”

Academics, she says, has always been a part of her life, but she does not put this down to being intelligent or smart, but rather to plain hard work.

Tamron says she cannot remember a time when she was not dedicated to her books and academic endeavours.

Her motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic in that she has always had goals she has set for herself and yearned to achieve them.

“I learned from my parents that education is the key to life. They showed me no matter where you come from or who you are, you can achieve anything as long as you honestly and truly want it for yourself.”

She says doing well is not to impress anyone or to prove a point, but rather to be the best version of herself that God envisioned her to be so she can contribute positively to society as a whole.

Tamron is a friendly young woman, with beautiful manners and a warm smile.

You will not always find her with her head in her books; her hobbies include reading murder mysteries, sci-fi, comedies and coming-of-age books.

Tamron is a talented singer with a beautiful voice and she is part of the Mitchell House choir.

She loves being active in her community. She is a member of the school’s community club and volunteers at her church.

Over the past few years, Tamron says, she has developed a love for hiking and she tries to go on eco-hikes with the school as often as she can.

Looking to the future, Tamron says she would like to study either accounting or genetics.

Being known for her academics, Tamron gives advice to learners who may not be doing so well at school.

“I have three words for you: ‘never give up’. It’s a process and it doesn’t happen overnight.”

She further says learners shouldn’t be afraid to ask a question, even if it has to be rephrased 10 times.

“Your understanding is more valuable than your knowledge because understanding begets knowledge.”

She says success also comes by having good friends who make you laugh, genuinely care about you, motivate you and work with and support you.

“The load is lighter when we carry it together: my principal taught me that.”