Johannesburg – Two Stellenbosch University medical students have managed a distinction in each of their 11 subjects for their final year.
According to the university, while this had been achieved twice before, it was the first time in its history that two students managed the feat in the same year.
Elmi Barnard and Jessica Taylor said it was all due to their dedication and determination to be the best in their field.
The eleven subjects which the two women excelled in include Medical Psychiatry, Surgery, General Family Medicine, Ophthalmology, Anaesthetic, ENT, and neurology.
Barnard said she almost didn’t make the cut at Stellenbosch University.
“I wasn’t accepted for medicine. I was on the waiting list but eventually I got in. This made me want to be better. I was so scared that I wasn’t good enough which is why I did well,” Barnard told News24.
Taylor said it was important to start working hard on your studies in the first year.
“You have to start from the beginning. I didn’t start working from this year, I started right in the first year and that’s why I am here today. It has got to do with a lot of time [and] patience,” Taylor said.
Both women said they had to sacrifice their social lives to achieve their results.
“I can now breathe. I want to eat good food, get a nice tan and just enjoy this festive season,” Taylor said.
Barnard agrees saying she intends to spend more time with her family and friends now that she has finished medical school.
Barnard said she will be heading to Kimberly for her internship while Taylor said she would be headed to Port Elizabeth to Livingstone Hospital.
The two women graduated on December 8.
