Chinese pupil defies the odds

From battling to speak English three years ago when she moved to Toti from China, Kingsway High School (KHS) grade 12 pupil, Qianxian Song (19) finished third overall in matric and got academic honours at the school’s prizegiving.
She got As for all nine subjects, including English, and four subject prizes.
Qianxian, or Bella as she was christened by her classmates, started at Kingsway in grade 10 in 2012 and could hardly speak a word of English.
“I can speak English now, but I don’t think it is very fluent,” she said.

“I was totally shocked and couldn’t believe that I got an A for English. In the beginning it was really hard to understand the teacher, so I used to copy my friends’ notes and ask the teachers for help after the lessons. I also tried to do some translation after school in the beginning.”
Bella is now hard at work preparing for her finals, which she starts on Monday, 27 October with English. “I did some revision and went through the notes to prepare for finals. I want to achieve at least eight As out of my nine subjects and I want a 90% aggregate.
I always try my best in everything I do, so that even if I don’t achieve it, I have no regrets.”
Bella will study actuarial science at the University of Cape Town or University of Pretoria next year.
“I have made some very nice friends at KHS.  They helped me a lot in the beginning. I have a group of five people, including me. We are besties now. I love them. Kyna Pereira is the best person I have met in SA. She was like the ‘guider’ of my new SA life.
I feel fine with the life in Toti and I am still getting used to it, because I miss life in China.”