Matriculant Jaden Jessen earned the title of Dux of Creston College and a string of top awards just months after suffering a stroke.

The Herald reported on the 18-year-old Umtentweni learner’s story in August after she suffered a stroke while spending time with her brother, Slade, at a dam.

Jaden suddenly lost her vision, experienced facial drooping and became paralysed on one side of her body. Her brother’s quick actions helped save her life. She was rushed to Shelly Beach Hospital, where a specialist performed a mechanical thrombectomy to remove the clot blocking blood flow to her brain.

Although she made a remarkable physical recovery, Jaden feared the stroke might affect her memory and ability to perform in her trial examinations.

“After my stroke, I was concerned about the impact it might have on my academics, particularly my memory, and I was quite anxious throughout my trial examinations about whether those effects would become evident in my marks.

However, she continued to work hard and persevere despite the challenges.

At a recent Creston College prize-giving, she received the Executive Headmaster’s Award, was named Dux and earned Honours with Tar for an aggregate above 90%, as well as an Honours Re-award.

Her achievements included trophies for first place in English, Afrikaans, History and Mathematical Literacy, along with the Creative Writing Award and Life Science Skills trophy.

“I’ve been working towards this moment, especially achieving Dux, since Grade 8. To come out of it achieving what I had worked towards for so many years was an incredibly special feeling,” she said.

While Jaden is doing well physically, she said the emotional impact of the experience has been harder to process.

“It’s not always easy to think about or process everything that happened, and I think the emotional impact is something that takes time,” she said.

She remains grateful for her recovery and the support of her family and close friends.

With her matric year nearly behind her, Jaden has some advice for next year’s matrics: work consistently throughout the year rather than leave studying until the last minute.

“My biggest piece of advice would be to do a little bit every day. Pay attention in class because so much of what you learn and discuss with your teachers ends up being relevant in your exams,” she said.

She believes regular practice is particularly important for subjects such as accounting.

Jaden also encouraged learners to manage stress by tackling one task at a time instead of becoming overwhelmed by the workload.

“You can only do so much, so focus on doing your best rather than putting unnecessary pressure on yourself to get everything perfect,” she said.

Jaden plans to study towards a BCom in Accounting, with the ultimate goal of qualifying as a chartered accountant.

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