Students toasted for rising above challenges
Published:Saturday | October 21, 2023 | 12:06 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
THE NATIONAL Child Month Committee recognised 17 students from non-traditional high schools across the island yesterday for their exceptional academic performance in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
Among the awardees was Kenya Uffar, a student at May Day High in Manchester.
After receiving a sickle cell disease diagnosis, Uffar faced many obstacles which threatened to preclude her from academic success.
But on Friday, despite her absence from the award ceremony owing to illness, Uffar was praised for her remarkable display of strength and determination.
Her journey saw her facing numerous challenges following her diagnosis, one of which involved missing several weeks of school at any given time. As such, she constantly played “catch up”, trying to turn in assignments on time and study previous topics while working on the current ones, while other students progressed in the class.
Things took a turn for the worse, as while in fifth form, she experienced a sickle cell crisis that caused her to spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital while attempting to complete her school-based assessments (SBAs).
The excruciating pain left her unable to walk, yet still she fought hard and disregarded her parents’ advice to sit the exams the following year.
Uffar was able to pass seven out of the eight CSEC subjects, owing to the support of her family and friends, the teachers and administrative staff at her institution, alongside the staff at the Mandeville Regional Hospital.
Another determined spirit awarded was Ashawnie Higgins of The Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Even though the 15-year-old had to deal with the frightening experience of losing his vision while also facing severe financial challenges, he remained determined to pursue his education and was able to attain five CSEC passes.
Rihanna Chambers was also commended for both her academic achievements and her steadfast commitment to community development through volunteer work.
Chambers, a student of Porus High School in Manchester, persevered despite the death of her grandfather when she was preparing for exams and dealing with the stresses of her family’s financial struggles.
She became her school’s top CSEC student for the 2022-2023 academic year as a result of her determination.
Vice principal of Swallowfield Infant and Primary School, Terral Christian, who delivered the keynote address, emphasised the importance of society celebrating youth achievement despite the many negatives within the school environment, such as student aggression that often led to fights.
“When our students accomplish [anything], it should feel like our accomplishments. When our students experience these feel-good moments, we should also feel good because all of them a Jamaican pickney and once they are excelling, Jamaica is excelling,” he said.
He also encouraged the youngsters to become “agents of change” and role models for other Jamaican pupils, combating the narrative that the nation’s students are vulgar, disruptive, and out of control.
Christian further told the pupils that there was benefit in facing difficulties in life as these are the moments that will “shape that character ... [and] put you on a course ... that teaches you and propels you to go further”.
As November will be celebrated as National Parent Month and Youth Month, Marsha Smith, state minister in the Ministry of Education and Youth, who gave greetings, highlighted that it was every individual’s duty to work collaboratively “at all times” in the best interest of the young and their success.
“I just want to encourage all of us in our individual spaces to seek out a way to affirm our children, to show them that you love them and that you care for them,” she said.