New head girl makes school history

30.06.10

Theresa Mwesigwa has overcome the odds and been elected head girl of the prestigious Redhill High School in Sandton

When Theresa Mwesigwa heard her name being announced, it was a surreal moment filled with disbelief, pride and honour.

The disbelief came when she heard she had been chosen over 22 of her peers as the first black head girl in Redhill High School’s history.

“In my head it was never going to be me, so it was completely unexpected,” the 17-year-old Orlando West resident said. Recalling October 15 – the day she made school history – she said she realised she might be in with a chance only when all the “front runners” and the deputy head girl had been
announced.

“I kept asking myself: is this happening? It was momentous,” she said. But she said that while
being the first black head girl of the school was significant, considering the country’s history,
she didn’t want to dwell on it, as her role was to serve and lead the school.

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