Montego Bay’s Noella Brown shines as regional humanities star
Published:Thursday | November 21, 2024 | 12:09 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
An extraordinary student from Montego Bay Community College has made history by earning the prestigious Caribbean Award for Humanities in the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC’s) Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE)1 & 2 assessments, outshining peers across the region.
Eighteen-year-old Noella Brown, a trailblazer in her field, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, in St Andrew. Her ambition is clear as she sets her sights on further legal studies at the Norman Manley Law School, cementing her place as a rising star in Jamaica’s academic and professional landscape.
On December 5, Brown will join other regional academic luminaries at a grand award ceremony in Castries, St Lucia, where her groundbreaking achievement will be celebrated on an international stage.
Brown’s academic journey has been one of consistent excellence. A 2022 valedictorian at Mt Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, she also received the Principal’s Award and top honours for humanities that same year.
During her two years at Montego Bay Community College, she excelled in history, sociology, and law, surpassing expectations and proving her mettle as one of the Caribbean’s brightest young minds.
Although an extremely high achiever, Brown said she was still surprised to learn that she had been selected as the most outstanding humanities student in the region.
“I didn’t expect to perform so well on a regional level. I’m used to doing well in Jamaica, but when you consider the number of brilliant students across the region, I didn’t think I would stand out like this.”
Thousands of students sit CAPE 1 and 2 annually.
“For instance, I was third in the Caribbean for history and sociology, and I was on the regional merit list for law as well, but this award for the most outstanding student is a big jump for me,” she continued.
For her, CAPE’s rigorous syllabi and standards provided the push for her to hone her academic skills of interpretation, analysis, internal and external criticism, academic writing, as well as personal skills.
“The style of the syllabus, in its emphasis on elements of asynchronous learning, has prepared me well for my current educational experience.”
Brown’s parents, Betty-Ann Brown, human resources director at the Hyatt Ziva and Zilara, and retired group director of security at Sandals Resorts International Michael Brown, were not surprised by their daughter’s latest accolade, having witnessed her competitive nature over the years.
“She always wanted to beat her older sister, who is also a high performer as well,” her mother quipped.
Her sister is clinical pharmacist Dr Zoe Brown and brother Khary is a team leader with the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).
According to Betty-Ann Brown, her daughter was a public speaker from kindergarten days and a lawyer-in-the-making from Careers Day at Mt Alvernia Preparatory.
The 18-year-old, who is interested in international or property law, said she would probably never go to court to defend a client as a criminal lawyer.
“Ideally, I want to be a lawyer who listens to clients and thinks analytically – someone well-rounded and not confined to just books.”
Rochelle Linton, head of department in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at MoBay Community College, lauded Brown as a student who possesses excellent oral and written communication skills, one who has an exceptional academic record and is very diligent and conscientious.
“During her tenure at the college, she distinguished herself as the top student not only in her class and faculty, but the entire college as the student with the highest grade point average of 3.90,” said Linton in a letter to CXC.
She added that consequently, Brown was awarded the top CAPE student and placed on the Principal’s Honour Roll for her sterling academic accomplishments.
“Her performance in the CAPE was exemplary as she was featured at the top of the local and regional merit lists.”
Undoubtedly, the ethos of excellence has become the hallmark of Brown, who displays remarkable interpersonal skills and a maturity level way beyond her age, Linton concluded.