Clifton College's Huven Moodley faces pivotal choice between medicine and accounting
Music in his soul
Huven Moodley with the Alistair Clark Trophy for high achievement in all spheres of school life.
Image: Supplied
THE deputy head boy and triple honours award recipient at Clifton College, Huven Moodley, needs to decide by Friday if he will study toward a Bcom in accounting or medicine at the University of Cape Town. With the deadline looming, Huven is still undecided but said it was a decision one could not take lightly.
"My family is helping me to decide. I am not one to commit to something without taking everything into consideration," said Huven, of uMhlanga, who attained 9 distinctions and a 92.4% aggregate in the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) exams.
The 18-year-old said he went through an intense four week preparation period prior to the final exams that comprised mainly extensive practice using past papers.
"I took a stoic approach. I did not set numerical goals to say I wanted to achieve 90 or 95 percent for a subject. My goal for the year was to try to be the best version of myself. The common misconception is that marks are impacted by intelligence. I believe I have average intelligence but I got extraordinary results because I put in the effort required. Life is an input-output system and therefore if the required input is delivered, the desired output will be received."
Life, for Huven, is not all about academia. There is music in his soul.
His parents enrolled him at the Beama Naidoo School of Music when he was three years old, playing traditional Indian instruments such as the dholak, tabla and harmonium.
While at primary school at uMhlanga College, he learnt the violin and ended up incorporating western elements into traditional Indian music, which he performed at eisteddfods. This, he said, had laid the foundation for his musical career, and he ended up becoming part of the KZN Youth Orchestra for seven years and the KZN Philharmonic Young Performers Concert.
The latter, in conjunction with achieving his grade 8 levels (advanced level signifying high technical skill and musical maturity) in violin, were the "pinnacles of my career".
Whether he ultimately chooses the structured realm of accounting or the nuanced path of medicine, one thing is certain: his dedication and diverse talents will pave the way for a future brimming with promise.