Farhan Afraz Khan could not wait to thank his mother after he was announced Dux of Suva Muslim College yesterday at the school’s prizegiving ceremony.

“This award is dedicated to my Mum who has always been there for me,” he said.

“If you come up to my house you would see many cups of coffee – she always used to make coffee for me so I could stay up all night.

“I used to get dark circles under my eyes, but it’s all dedicated to my studies and the hard work that I have done.”

Farhan said ever since he started high school, he dreamed of seeing himself on the school’s greatest aca­demic stage.

“It means my life – when I was in Form 1 (Year 7), I used to stand at the corner of the stage and see those peo­ple who used to win the dux trophy and say to myself that one day you’ll get a trophy as well,” he said.

“I worked hard continuously and to­day I got the result – I’m the first one in the family to come up to this height of success so it means the world.”

Farhan has an eye for technology and hopes to pursue further studies in this field after high school.

“I love technology – I love to create websites,” he said.

“After school I am planning to attain further education at the University of the South Pacific where I’ll be study­ing in software engineering or some­thing similar,” he said

His uncle, Daniel Dean, said: “It means a lot to me, what we went through the last seven years of his secondary schooling – this is what he was aiming for and from the family support and teachers he has achieved this – we are very proud of him.”

Likewise, Farhan’s mother, Naaz Khan was all smiles and incredibly proud of her son’s achievements.

Farhan told students: “When you are down, never feel like you will always be there – you should get up, work hard in silence and let your success make the noise.”

Farhan also received the Outstand­ing Student of the Year award which he shared with Mohammed Moseb Ansar.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa

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