JORDAN MOSHE
“You’re always your own biggest critic. The limitations we place on ourselves can only make us unhappy.”
Today, Jonathan exudes self-assurance and warmth, which is totally at odds with the portrait he paints of his past self. “I was an introvert in every way. As a child, I was often bullied and preferred the company of adults. I was painfully shy and reserved, and social anxiety kept me from branching out.”
Jonathan left King David Victory Park for Crossroads School in grade 1. He overcame educational barriers posed by his ADHD and mild dyslexia, and returned to King David in Grade 5. However, he was still an introverted loner and his progress through primary and junior high school was defined by his ongoing isolation.
When he reached Grade 10, he decided to confront his insecurities and come out of his shell. “I realised then that there was nothing to be gained from being self-conscious about my barriers. There was no shame in facing challenges, and I could make decisions that would make my life better. I could now choose my subjects, create new friendships and become involved in more activities than I had before,” he says.
“I was able to put myself into a place where I fitted best and create circumstances suited to my personality.”
He came to realise that by cutting himself off from the world, he had denied himself multiple opportunities. So, when choosing subjects for senior high, Jonathan opted for geography, history and drama. “Drama really brought me out of myself. My biggest regret was that I had not been involved in the school plays when I was in Grades 8 and 9 as I had missed out on opportunities,” he says.
However, he certainly made up for this by becoming involved in the debating team and assuming the role of Perchik in the school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in 2016. He took the beliefs of this character to heart and, instead of seeking to stir up revolution in Czarist Russia, Jonathan led a revolution within himself by committing to giving it his all in his matric year.
“I was never a straight A student, but I peaked in matric. I was not limiting myself anymore, but I also believed in doing the best I could without putting any unnecessary pressure on myself.
“In creating expectations, I had to be true to myself, and remember that there was a bigger picture to everything.”
Although he got his five distinctions, he remains committed to this bigger picture. “Now that school is over, I have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of myself. School is very structured, and you always know what’s coming next. But now I have the opportunity to explore who I am and what I want to devote myself to.”
To this end, Jonathan has resolved to spend the year ahead engaged in activities that will enable him to broaden his horizons. “Before I go to university, I’d like to take up an internship, travel or perhaps even write the Scholastic Assessment Test to give me more options for the future. I am leaning towards the humanities.”
On his matric, he says: “I exceeded my expectations of myself in matric. I was cautiously optimistic about my final results, but I had done what I could, and I was unable to do anything about the outcome. Matric involves a lot of tears, stress and extremely late nights, but in the end it’s all worth it.”
