At just 14, when most teenagers are still at high school, top achiever Hjalmar Rall is getting ready to join other 18 year olds in undergraduate studies, and he has chosen the University of Pretoria (UP).
Hjalmar, from Riebeek Kasteel in the Western Cape, is pursuing his dreams to become a scientist and will study BSc Physics. South Africa has a number of good universities, yet Hjalmar chose UP. When asked why, his response is quick, short and to the point. 'It's the best there is,' he says with a smile.
When talking to Hjalmar one gets a sense of what Patanjali, the Sage of the Sutra meant when he said, 'When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.'
Hjalmar does not have a secret formula to success, but strongly believes that when you enjoy doing something you are bound to succeed. Many people only realise this years into adulthood, but at 14 Hjalmar already thoroughly understands the concept. His success lies in doing fun things. 'As long as it's not boring, I do it,' he says.
As someone who is motivated by challenges, he is looking forward to even bigger challenges at UP and is excited to discover a world that no one has ever discovered before. 'I want to ask even bigger questions and find out what else there is to do, particularly in theoretical physics and astrophysics,' he adds.
After completing his degree he plans to further his studies and there can be no doubt Hjalmar's future is bright and filled with possibilities as infinite as space.
