A Huyton teenager who feared she would have to retake her GCSEs has celebrated getting the grades she needed to pursue her lifelong love of horses. Weronika Wojtas, 16, was “ecstatic” after opening her results at Lord Derby Academy this morning (Thursday, August 20) and discovering she had performed better than anticipated.
The teenager achieved grades of four 5s, two 4s, two 6s, and one 8 in Polish. She is now heading to Myerscough College to study Level 3 Equine Management.
Surpassing Expectations
Weronika told the ECHO: “I think I’ve done really well. Honestly, I was expecting 3s and 4s and thought I would have to resit in college and take the lower course, but then I saw the exact results I needed. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The first person she ran to after opening her results was her mother, who she said had motivated her throughout the stressful revision period. “She was the person who motivated me to keep going and told me it would all be worth it in the end. She’s just as happy as me - she’s ecstatic,” Weronika said. “Now, seeing my results, the only person I have to thank is my mum. She’s the person who motivated me the most to get the grades that I did.”
A Lifelong Passion for Horses
Weronika's love of horses began when she was five years old, after her father would take her to visit and feed horses in a field near the East Lancs. “Ever since then, I was always like, ‘Oh my God, I love horses, I love horses’,” she said. “I started horse riding when I was five, and I rode for around nine or 10 years. I stopped last year, sadly, because of GCSEs and all kinds of different stuff, but it taught me loads and further helped my love for horses.”
Now preparing for the next chapter, Weronika hopes to get back into riding through Amazonka UK, a Polish showjumping group, while studying at Myerscough. Her course will cover areas including horse biology and behaviour, with the opportunity to take part in riding.
Gratitude and Future Plans
“I don’t see a career without horses. It’s a big part of my personality, so I’d say it’s quite known,” Weronika said. She added that she was also grateful to have the opportunity to pursue a future in the sport. “Especially with it being such an expensive sport, I feel really grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.”
Weronika, whose family are Polish, was also particularly pleased with her grade 8 in Polish after taking the subject as an external GCSE. “My entire family are Polish. They all live in Poland, but my parents moved here not long after they got married and then had me. Before school, I was only taught Polish, so my first language was Polish. Then, at primary school, that’s where I started to pick up English. I found out I could do Polish as an external exam for my GCSEs, which I’m glad I took on as I got an 8 out of it.”
After results day, Weronika headed straight to Myerscough for her enrolment appointment after discovering she had secured her place on the course. Afterwards, she planned to celebrate with her family. “I’m hoping to celebrate with Nando’s and my family, if the rumours are true, you get it free,” she said. “Most importantly, after I leave now, I’m going straight to Myerscough for my enrolment appointment because I got onto my course. Then I can celebrate for the rest of the day.”
