Meet the nerd from Nketa

CALL him a nerd, a geek, whizkid or any of the many stereotypical names overly intellectual people are often pejoratively called.

The 19-year-old Ronald Shereni seems not to care. Instead he has embraced the tag and is so proud of it he could move around brandishing it. Yet his humble, down-to-earth persona will not let him.

Having contended with the tag for much of his life, since kindergarten when he would outshine his colleagues at crèche, the term nerd in his ears almost rings like his second name.

Random mention of the word, may see him responding, checking if anyone was calling him. Ronald, hailing from the dense locale of Nketa 6 in Bulawayo scored 25 points in the November 2015 A-level examination, to emerge as the best student at Mpopoma High School.

While to him the feat might have been humbling, to some of his school mates it confirmed the nerd stereotype they have always held onto him.

But for others it has served as an inspiration, as Ronald now testifies of being inundated, albeit nicodemously, by people requesting to be assisted with remedial lessons.

Not only did Ronald's achievement shatter the Mpopoma High School record, but it has also unmasked the myth that kasi boys can't make it in school.

Ronald sat for five subjects in the November 2015 examination (Chemistry, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and Economics) and aced them all, scoring As, or ladders to say it in high school lingo.

"So I realised I'm always on the defence about being called a nerd or a geek but after meeting a kid who said he wanted to be a nerd like me, I realised that if I keep on denying being called a nerd, guys who are bright in school like me will continue being treated as social outcasts. To fight the stereotype we just have to embrace it.

"Bill Gates was probably called nerd, Mark Zuckerberg is said to be a nerd, Steve Jobs another nerd and Ronald Shereni is also called a nerd. I think I should be proud of being placed in this class of people.

"To the kids whom society calls nerds and wrongly labels as 'outcasts' I would embrace and be proud of who you are for you have the potential to change the world" said the soft spoken whizkid.

But is Ronald really a nerd or simply a victim of a society that underestimates its potential to produce great people?

A nerd, by definition, is a person who does not conform to society's beliefs that all people should follow trends and do what their peers do. They are often highly intelligent but socially rejected because of their obsession with a given subject, usually computers.

Well, Ronald may not entirely fit this definition as he has a normal adolescent social life, follows sport, listens to music, watches movies and is outgoing just as much as many kids of his age do.

"Of course people call me a nerd and I'm now used to it but I'm not that much of a social misfit. I have a social life just like any kid my age.

"I love hanging out with my friends. During weekends we go to Waterworld, we have braais and all that. I listen to electro music and I am a passionate cricket fan. I follow football a little, in England I support Manchester United and locally Chicken Inn," he said.

IF his social life is no different from the social lives of most of his age mates of average intelligence what then could be the secret to such an astonishing academic feat.

"I attribute my success to hard work and prayer. When I was preparing for my examination I honestly did not read as much as people would think. I never spent sleepless nights and all that. I had a normal study routine but I think it all goes down to having quality notes and reading the right stuff. For that I pay tribute to my teachers," said.

Ronald also paid tribute to his mother, Mrs Emma Shereni, whom he said has always been his pillar and source of inspiration. Mrs Shereni, a widow could not hide the joy at her son's extraordinary achievement.

"When I saw Ronald's result slip I couldn't help but cry tears of joy. Ronnie is a hard working boy who always produces excellent results and has never needed to be pushed to study. He shows determination in his school work and even has time to help out his younger siblings with their homework. I could not be any prouder of my son and I thank the Lord for blessing me not only with Ronnie but with all of my children," she said.

What next for this nerdy bloke?

"I want to study Actuarial Science. That has always been my dream and now that I have the requisite number of points I have no reason not to go for it. I'm busy making applications now and I hope I will be accepted for the programme I want to study," said Ronald.

His excellence did not start at Mpopoma High School, neither is it only confined to school work but spreads to other non-curricular activities.

At O-level Ronald attained 11 As to emerge as the best student at Maranatha Adventist High School earning himself a scholarship to pursue his A-levels at Mpopoma.

He was part of the all-conquering Mpopoma High School team which won the 2014 Contemporary Affairs Foundation (CA-F) schools' public speaking challenge grand finale. The same team was also losing semi-finalists at the LAN public speaking competition with Ronald scooping the best speaker award. Ronald has previously won the South African Development Community Sadc easy writing competition.

His achievements do not only reflect how bright a fellow he is but the hard work being put by staff at Mpopoma High School to get the best out of their students. Mpopoma, this year boast of Ronald and three other students who scored 23, 20 and 19 points at A-level.