Drama of a year, with a dream ending

For Yeshiva College matriculant Benji Goldstein, the most fun in matric was being able to showcase his love for performing rather than studying. 

As a drama student, Goldstein loved the fact that he was able to express himself creatively as part of the examination process. 

“Drama was my favourite subject,” he said. “The teacher was amazing; I had all my friends in the class; and it was a small group, so it wasn’t stressful. I also love movies, so it taught me a lot about what I was watching. Everything about it was just so good, and I even got a chance to act.” 

Goldstein said the hardest part of school was having to balance social life with academic success. 

“School was incredibly challenging, probably one of the hardest things I’ve experienced,” he said. “But at the same time, it taught me skills I couldn’t have gained anywhere else. Social skills, resilience, the ability to handle responsibility – you just can’t get that anywhere else. Without school, you wouldn’t be ready for the real world. Of course, it came with workload and all the pressure, but it was worth it. 

“I tried my hardest to learn as much as I could,” he said. “The most difficult thing was making friends and going out and having fun. I tried my best to find a balance between school and fun.” 

Studying was a struggle for Goldstein, who had to remind himself constantly that after that he would be able to do what he had wanted to do since he started school, namely go on a Midreshet Torah Va’Avodah (MTA) gap year with Bnei Akiva in Israel. 

“I had to force myself to like to learn and like working hard because this was what mattered most,” he said. “I literally just struggled through because one of the main things that I kept reminding myself was that this was literally it. After my Afrikaans final, I knew I would never have to speak Afrikaans again. And like in prelims, I was like, ‘This is it.’ This is literally almost over.” 

He said he had never felt joy like he felt when he wrote his last exam as he knew that he would be free to do whatever he wanted. 

“It was the best feeling ever,” he said. “Some people told me it was the most anticlimactic thing in the world, and it really didn’t matter that much, but they are wrong. It’s the best feeling ever.” 

Goldstein is excited to go on gap year in Israel and to a yeshiva there. “I’m so excited. Like, nobody understands. I’ve been waiting for this since school started,” he said.