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In 2017, my dad and brother were in a tragic helicopter accident. Two fathers and sons were on their way home from a farming event when an engine failure on the helicopter occurred. My dad was the pilot and tried everything he could; he did an autorotation when the engine failure happened, but when they hit the ground, the helicopter scattered into pieces, and my dad, along with my brother's best friend, passed away. For months, we have fought for my brother's life in the hospital; it is an absolute miracle that he is alive; on medical papers, he was and still is registered as a person with paraplegia, but today, he walks and is a healthy 22-year-old man.

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Since 19 May 2017, I have never experienced one ordinary day. Although I have many challenges in my personal life, I am very proud of my achievements through all this chaos. I completed my BEd. Foundation Phase Teaching degree with distinction(I passed with Honors) in 2021 at the North West University in Potchefstroom and started studying BA. Psychology/Child Advocacy through Florida Tech in January 2022. I am proud to say that since 2022, I have had the privilege to be on the Dean's List several times, and I currently have a GPA of 3.89 with an average of 96%. Furthermore, I also received a distinguished student scholar award at Florida Tech in April 2024. 

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While studying full-time, I also focus on making a difference in other people's lives. On the one hand, I call myself a full-time student. On the other hand, I am an influencer, music artist, equestrian, and qualified teacher. Previously,  I have written and recorded my songs. A music producer helped me master and release the songs on all music platforms through Distrokid. My songs are not ordinary. These songs contain lyrics from my own experiences and lessons through life with the idea of making a difference in other people's lives. I am also an equestrian, focusing on showjumping and practicing for competitions three times a week. Furthermore, I have also been part of a reality TV dating show called "Op my Eish!" which aired between January and April 2024, where I was one of the participants in Season 3. 

 

While we went through our trauma in 2017, I discovered that I love to work with Children and want to make a difference in their lives. I started studying for my teaching degree in 2018. I loved every moment of studying education, but while doing my practicals at different schools, I realized that I needed to do more to protect youngsters from being exposed to the cruelty that exists in the world. Since the beginning of COVID-19, when we weren't allowed to attend University, I home-schooled my younger cousins full-time for almost two years. Through all of this, I discovered that the one way I would be able to make a difference in not only the lives of children but all people would be if I studied Psychology. I did much research before I decided. While I did all of this research, I came across the BA. Psychology/Child Advocacy degree program at Florida Tech, and I immediately knew that this was the degree I needed to study. At first, I was scared because, in my previous degree, I studied in my home language, Afrikaans. At that time, I did not know what to expect if I decided to study online through another university in Melbourne, Florida, in the USA. Nevertheless, I took the decision and knew that I could work hard to achieve what I wanted for myself in life. Looking back, I am super proud of myself today because, with all these unknown factors still occurring in my life, I decided that nothing would get me down. I cannot believe I have come this far and achieved so much.

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As you already know, I am currently busy with my BA. Psychology/Child Advocacy degree. I am motivated to maintain and improve my grades and academic achievements. If all goes well, I will finish my current degree at the end of this year, and my expected date for graduation is 15 December 2024 in Melbourne, Florida, in the USA. As always, I did much research to decide what I should do after I graduate with my current degree. After discovering who I am and what I would like to achieve in life, I want to make a difference in the lives of others. I want to gain more knowledge about people's psychological aspects to understand better why people behave and act the way they do. I want to help people through their struggles in life, I want to fight for innocent people, and I want to ensure that I can protect children. I want to gain help in the legal system, and I also want to discover why people react and behave the way they do. After my research, I realized how interested I am in Forensic Psychology. However,  in South Africa, the title of a Forensic Psychologist is not fully recognized. I want to pursue my post-graduate studies and am applying for my honors in Psychology; I also want to apply for my Master's in Clinical Psychology and then specialize in Forensic Psychology. I will be able to achieve what I want because I have always been the type of person who never gives up on my dreams. I always work hard for what I want and am very dedicated to my end goals. I am willing to give up everything to do what I love and to feel like I can make a difference in other people's lives.

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