Matriculant Isabella Basson bags 7 distinctions and a 4-year full tennis scholarship to The University of Tulsa.
Written by | Shannon Black
Sports Flexibility
Academic Excellence
Photo by | Milana Giles Photography
Isabella Basson, a past Grade 12 student at Hatfield Online School, has rightfully earned her place in the hallowed halls of academic excellence whilst continuing to shine on the tennis courts, proving that you can live out your sporting dream and excel in your academics.
In Grade 11, she made the call to complete her schooling a little differently from how she started it. This took determination, discipline, and in her own words, a whole lot of “patience”. Her decision has proven to have paid off!
Photo by | Milana Giles Photography
The 19th of January 2024 marked a day of both great excitement and relief for Isabella Basson, who now feels like a “weight has been lifted off of [her] shoulders” after the Independent Examination Board (IEB) confirmed that she had obtained 7 distinctions in Accounting, Afrikaans FAL, English, Geography, Life Orientation, Mathematics and Physical Sciences. This is in addition to her being placed in the Top 1% of the country for both Afrikaans FAL and Geography. Such a remarkable set of results has enabled her to secure a full 4-year tennis scholarship to The University of Tulsa, in the United States of America, where she will study Business and work towards her goal of playing tennis professionally. This was no easy feat as she was up against the best in the world and had to demonstrate a balance between academic rigour and outstanding sports performance.
She anticipated the challenge of striking this balance early on in Grade 11. Although Isabella is deeply appreciative of the foundations laid by her experiences at her previous brick-and-mortar schools, her desire to do well in both disciplines led her to joining the Hatfield Online School in April 2022. She considered many online schooling options, but the asynchronous nature of Hatfield Online School programme and access to qualified subject teachers helped solidify her choice and enabled her to attain her goals.
In an interview, she recounts that without this school she, “would have not been able to do this at all!” For Isabella, there were times when she only knew her tennis tournament schedule the next day. She would often find herself sending her teachers and principal an email along the lines of “Ma’am, I am so sorry! I know that I am playing a match, but I have no idea when,” and every time, “the teachers were so gracious and so understanding” and “would figure something out.” Whether in the afternoon or evening, the teachers would find a time when Isabella was not playing a match and then set the test up in a time slot that worked. For her:
"That was one of my highlights – the teachers' attitudes and understanding towards everything even if they don’t understand tennis."
But it was never just about the tests and examinations, it was about so much more:
"You don’t just write tests and don’t get any teaching. You have great teachers, you have access to them 24/7 wherever you are, you do your full curriculum, you get the best learning experience and you can write your tests and do your projects and you know that you are going to get quality teaching and I could carry on with tennis the way that I was."
She expressed that not only was the structured layout of the content, quality of learning material, expertise of the teachers and timely feedback a tremendous help, she felt her experience of doing schooling online was more personal. Previously, Isabella tended towards listening to her peers who were the ones asking clarifying or probing questions, whereas now she found herself in a position where she had to reach out to her teachers if she was unsure or curious about a certain topic or concept. Her heightened sense of responsibility for her own learning process fostered one-on-one interaction with her teachers, which personalised her academic journey.
In addition to her amazing academic results, since joining the online leg of the Hatfield Christian School, her career-high International Tennis Federation (ITF) ranking for Women’s U/18 improved from 3093 in August 2022 to an impressive 712 by the end of 2023. In her final schooling year, she was one of the top 8 girls in South Africa in her age category to be invited to compete in the Trio Junior Masters in Cape Town, between the process of writing prelims and her final examinations, ending 3rd nationally in the Girls U/18 section. She also boasts an impressive Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 8.03. Isabella’s mom expressed her deep gratitude to the principal, admin staff, and teachers at the school, “They have been amazing. If it weren't for this vehicle and their support and their understanding, she [Isabella] would have not been able to do this.”
Photo by | Milana Giles Photography
For this studious scholar and sensational tennis dynamo, who fell in love with the game at the age of 3, both her academic and sporting success have assisted her in fulfilling the stringent requirements for the scholarship at The University of Tulsa, truly separating the “milk from the butter”. From attending various virtual meetings with coaches, to submitting videos of her playing tennis, she also had to ensure that she fulfilled the requirements set out by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) which governs all sports in the United States.
The principal of the Hatfield Online School, Ms Claudine van Tonder, explains that Isabella is the quintessential example for how online education can help certain students thrive. “Isabella really used the flexibility that our school offered her. She worked exceptionally hard at her academics, whilst simultaneously committing to a gruelling tennis training schedule. We are so proud of her!”
One can do difficult things - but not alone. From her dad having built a cardboard box for the printer to be in, in the car, so that she could print work wherever she went, to her mom being there for her for every trip, and her brother and coaches supporting her academically and emotionally - she also articulated that God’s grace has been at the centre of it all. Isabella is a true beacon of courage and commitment proving that sports and academics are not opponents, they flourish together under the right conditions.
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