Eight students honoured during National Academic Awards Ceremony
Eight of the country’s top academic achievers over the last three years were honoured at a ceremony yesterday morning at Government House.
Shanika Semper, Mjolnir Messiah, Shequanie King, Pia Nichols, Aliane Challenger, Amya James, Chidindu Ohaegbulum, and Elyssa Athill received academic awards for being top performers in the CAPE and CSEC examinations and the Grade Six National Assessments dating back to 2020.
The ceremony recognising the students was excluded from the annual youth rally programme this year due to delays and the cancellation of activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams, congratulated the students for their stellar performances, he noted that despite the challenges encountered along the way they persevered with support from key individuals including their families.
“As we reflect on the past years, and in particular the last three years, we are easily motivated to give special thanks to our education policymakers, administrators, tutors and support staff and all the teachers who played a key role in keeping our school system operating in spite of the challenges.
“That could not have been an easy task, and it still has its challenges, but the successes achieved were made possible by the dedication and commitment of people at all levels. Please accept our deepest gratitude for them.”
Chidindu Ohaegbulum, who secured grade one and two passes in 23 subjects in the June, 2022 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, recalled his preparation for the exit exams and said his results are a dream come true.
“This has been a dream of mine since first form and I’m elated that I’m now able to share it and cross this one off the bucket list, as my peers and I move on to bigger and better things” he noted.
“I remember the countless nights we [study group] spent doing past paper after past paper, running through text book after text book, study guide after study guide and then waking up the next morning to do an exam, only to rinse and repeat the process for forty more exams.”
Ohaegbulum, who is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Island Academy, has his ambitions set on becoming a teacher and lead researcher at the prestigious Oxford University.
For those considering the academic challenge he undertook, the former St. Joseph’s Academy student said he would encourage them to follow their heart.
“If you are confident in your ability, I say Ne Timeas! Do not be afraid! You too can show greatness.”