By Debbie Reynolds
Super achiever Estée Willers is so transparently nice it’s impossible to pin any nasty schoolgirl labels on her, although some do come to mind while reading through her impressive credentials.
The Durban Girls’ College head girl is also captain of the school’s successful swimming and hockey teams…and she’d probably be snapped up by a model agency if she had the inclination.
She laughs at the suggestion, especially after being subjected to a photo shoot outside the school’s front door. “Very embarrassing!” she says, but puts her soul into it anyway.
You get the feeling that, like it or not, the 18-year-old will give it her best shot which probably accounts for her success.
She captains a formidable swimming team, which this year has won the Durban and Districts A Gala for the sixth consecutive time; the KZN Independent Schools Gala in Pietermaritzburg; and the Top Ten All Girls Aquatics in Bloemfontein – leading by 490 points to the second-placed Eunice’s 418.
Then there’s the champion hockey team which she also captains. It won the hockey league unbeaten last year and again this year, and just a few days after I chatted to Estée she was leading the team to the Friendship Games in Beijing.
“We’ll be playing five games against Chinese teams, but we’ll also be taking in the culture of the country with visits to historical sites like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City,” she says. “We’re lucky that our headmaster and parents are coming along so we’ll have great support.”
Considering she’s also going for top grades to earn a place at medical school and follow in her parents’ footsteps, she has a tough schedule. “I’m not great at time management so I don’t really know how I do it all sometimes,” she says. “Having an efficient mom, who often jokes that she’s my secretary, is probably the trick!”
A typical week for Estée means getting up at 5.30am for sport or maths practice followed by getting to school on time. Her breaks are usually taken up with prefect meetings, school business or studies followed by afternoons playing or practising sport.
“I’m usually home between 5 and 6pm and then it’s time for homework and studies.”
But she also understands the need for balance and sets aside relaxation time with family and friends at the weekend – cycling, going to the beach or watching rugby, especially The Sharks.
“I love sport, so for me swimming and hockey is not a tedious chore,” she says. “I really love exercising and the girls on the team are also my friends so it’s fun.”
Being head girl is another challenge which she seems to thrive on. “I’m enjoying the experience so much that I think it’s unfair that everyone doesn’t get this opportunity. One of my favourite things has been getting to bond with girls from the other grades.
“Our prefect motto for the year – the fire to inspire – is about encouraging the girls to do the right thing rather than being policed. It’s also about unity throughout the school and learning to respect each other.
I ask her how she feels about the pressure teenagers are put under to succeed. “It’s wrong to make people do things they don’t want to do and wrong to label them if they don’t,” she says.
“Being well rounded and having balance in your life between work, exercise and play is very important. I’m lucky to have that and to have the support of my family and my school. Wow!”
FACT FILE
- Family: Mom Ingrid, dad Jaco and brother Jean (19)
- Birthday: February 3
- Schooling: Virginia Primary and Durban Girls’ College
- Loves: Children
- Sporting achievements: KZN Schools’ Hockey 2008, 2010 and KZN Schools’ Water Polo 2008 and 2009
- Sporting ambition: To run the Comrades at least once; for the DGC hockey team to win the Friendship Games in China
- Academic ambition: To study medicine, probably specialising in paediatrics