Sebastian Bouilliart achieved an average of 96.4% in his final examinations with eight distinctions in Afrikaans First Additional Language, English Home Language, French Second Additional Language, History, Life Orientation, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, as well as Further Studies Mathematics Extended.
He featured on the IEB Outstanding Achievements list, achieving within the top 5% of candidates in six or more subjects, including Life Orientation.
He also featured in the top 1% of candidates per subject for English Home Language, French Second Additional Language, Life Orientation, Mathematics and Physical Sciences
He achieved 99% for Mathematics and 100% in Calculus and Algebra for Further Studies in Mathematics Extended.
Sebastian was named the Dux Scholar at St John’s in 2022, which had been his goal since St John's Preparatory. Other academic highlights include receiving the inaugural Wynand Pretorius Prize for best History Essay – a special award, according to Sebastian, “because Mr Pretorius had been my teacher in Remove and LIV (Grades 8 and 9) and had taught me a great deal about St John’s and the pursuit of excellence. We maintained a relationship thereafter, and I attribute much of my success to his support.”
Despite this performance, Sebastian described 2022 as particularly challenging, partly due to contracting COVID-19 in March. “As a result,” Sebastian says, “I struggled with motivation, and it took patience and a gentle approach to overcome it. It was a bit of a wake-up call in that I realised the pitfalls of pursuing academic performance at the expense of a balanced life and my physical and mental health.”
In the end, the work Sebastian had invested since joining St John’s in 2017 paid off. “I don’t want to sound arrogant,” he says, “but I had consistently won subject prizes, and I began to win them more frequently as I got older. That explicit measure of progress spurred me to work harder. In effect, I used the academic prize system as a tool to improve.”
This ethos of continuous self-improvement is intrinsic to Sebastian’s academic development, as is an abiding curiosity. “I’m not entirely sure where my drive for self-improvement comes from”, he says. “Since I started school, academics have been my key focus, and I’ve consistently pursued academic success. Even when it’s tough, it’s not something I can stop caring about. I think maintaining a sense of curiosity helps ground that pursuit. St John’s has been formative in that regard, opening my eyes to the breadth of the world and the extent of its possibilities. The school has been a key factor in terms of the drive for learning about myself and the world, for which I’m very grateful.”
Sebastian enjoyed C-team hockey and F-team basketball as a break from academics.
Sebastian will study Actuarial Science at Wits University in 2023, with a view to travelling overseas for his postgraduate studies. “The dream would be Oxford or Cambridge,” he says. “If that’s not possible, I’ll look elsewhere in Europe. I picked up French in matric partly for that reason and quickly grew to love the language. I have roots in Belgium, and French has brought me closer to that heritage.”
Sebastian had also considered studying engineering, primarily due to his longstanding interest in cars and motor racing. “My dad and grandad were both racing drivers,” he explains. “I’ve been exposed to cars since I was a young child. My parents always tell me my first word was ‘car’! One of my grandad’s cars, a 1967 Porsche, sits in our garage, and working on it has been an enduring pastime. It’s become one of the family!”
Despite this passion, Sebastian views actuarial science as a more appropriate use of his abilities (mathematics has been a favourite subject and an area of fascination for Sebastian since childhood), an intellectual challenge, and a versatile base on which he can plan for further study and a career.
“At first, I was a bit daunted,” he says, reflecting on his time at St John’s. “The school was filled with people I admired, refining their talents, and working exceptionally hard. But I quickly realised St John’s is a place where everyone can find their niche and be encouraged and supported within that niche. What remained consistent was my appreciation for the calibre of people St John’s attracts and their dedication to the institution. The teachers, in particular, have a genuine sense of care for the wellbeing of the students, and St John’s soon became a home to me.”
Sebastian’s advice to boys hoping to follow in his footsteps is to “approach each moment as an opportunity. Nothing you experience, good or bad, is wasted if you learn from it. You are unlikely to find yourselves in a community quite like St John’s too often in your lives. Make sure your relationships are meaningful, as these are the interactions which add value to your life. Finally, don’t give up, even in the face of adversity. Keep trying, keep failing, and keep learning. Provided you learn and apply what you’ve learnt, your eventual success is guaranteed.”