The youth of Christel House are not only excelling in the classroom but also outside the classroom in the sports arena. For one girl in South Africa her dream of fencing on an international stage has come true.

Wanda is a 15 year old and lives with her parents Noposika, Thembinkosi and her 4 year. old brother Sipho in government housing. Her mother, who works at McDonalds, is the sole breadwinner. The 11^th grader came to Christel House 9 years ago and says that the support she has received from the school is what has given her the determination to succeed.

“They are always by my side to support me,” Wanda says.

Wanda was introduced to fencing by her CH teacher, Mr. Daniels in 2006. Though she enjoys cross-country, swimming and hockey, fencing has become her passion. She is part of the High Performance Team in Cape Town and just recently competed in the World Championships. The competition was very intense, but her confidence improved as she continued to win each round. Her final opponent, a very accomplished and privileged athlete from Johannesburg, had competed throughout Europe and was favored to win. But, Wanda’s determination led to victory.

“When she realized that she qualified for the Junior Olympics, she burst out crying tears of joy,” said her coach.

She is the only student from South Africa to qualify for the Junior Olympics competition to be held in Singapore later this year. After her competition, she plans to continue her studies at Christel House South Africa, and hopes to earn a fencing scholarship to college. Wanda attributes her success in large part to Christel House saying,

“Everyone at Christel House is always by my side. Without their support, my success would not be possible. They all go way beyond the call of duty to help me through difficult times.”