Hard work and perseverance reap rewards

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jessica Roye has scored eight distinctions in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, a feat that she says was achieved with hard work and perseverance.

The 16-year-old of Mount Alvernia High School, who hails from Grace Valley in Hanover, got grade ones in biology, chemistry, English language, geography, information technology, mathematics, physics and principles of business (POB).

Jessica, who was also deputy head girl at Mount Alvernia, told Western Focus that she was ecstatic when she saw her results.

"I was excited. I was screaming, jumping, all of that. I wasn't really surprised because I had worked for it, but I was happy," she declared.

Much time had gone into her preparation for the exams, starting from the first day of the school term, though she admitted that there some topics in different subjects areas that took her some time to grasp.

"I'd always go home first and find something to do to relax my mind in the evenings, and then after that I'd spend the rest of the night studying and doing my homework," she said of her study habits.

"At school in the mornings, I study with my friends and practise, and we try to find new English words to use every day to build our vocabulary. We studied in groups most of the time at school, and at home I study by myself."

sacrifices

She admitted that there were a few sacrifices she had to make in order to excel academically.

"I had to give up my phone. I didn't have much time to text and use free nights, but I still watched TV. I didn't go out as well," Jessica revealed.

Her mother, Joy Malcolm-Roye, who is a teacher, expressed pride in her daughter's success.

"I'm very, very proud of her. She worked very hard and felt very motivated," she said. "I did not have to say to her, 'Go and do your homework'. She would stick to her work."

Malcolm-Roye added that there was much family support for Jessica while she studied.

"Her daddy really drove her too. If she did a test and got 97, he'd say, 'That's very good, but where's the other three'," she remarked. "I help her in the evening for an hour and a half when she needs help."

Added the mother: "For the sciences, she has a brother at UWI, and he's good at the sciences. He's always on the phone to help her with that part of it. Another brother helps her with the POB. So she always had help."

Jessica will move on to Montego Bay Community College in September, where she will pursue a course in medicine. From there, she wants to go to the University of the West Indies.

"Young people should work hard and study, and don't wait till a month before the exam to start studying because that won't help you," she shared. "Anything you want to do, just put your mind to it and you will achieve. Just practise and believe in yourself."