Kayanna Ebanks hopes to become a doctor

Seventeen-year-old Kayanna Ebanks has not allowed her medical condition to hamper her performance throughout the years leading up to sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.

Suffering from asthma attacks at an early age, Ebanks did not give up her dreams, and she came away with eight CSEC subjects.

Ebanks, who lives in Longville Park with her mother, said that her father has been a permanent fixture in her life. She started out at Freetown Primary School in Clarendon, where she was successful in her GSAT and was placed at the Old Harbour High School in St Catherine, much to the dismay of her teachers, who thought she would have been placed at Glenmuir High School instead.

“I wanted to go to a traditional high school, but I was placed at Old Harbour High. It wasn’t hard for me to transition even at that early age, because I had supportive teachers, and I also had great classmates.

“After I thought about it, I was happy that I was placed at Old Harbour High, because, given my medical condition, it was nearer to home and to my father, who work as a firefighter at the Old Harbour Fire Station,” Ebanks said.

She said that she only had to travel a total of 12 miles each day to go to school and back.

“My travel time did not interfere with my studies, even though there was the challenge of getting transportation to go home after school sometimes. However, I would call my father, who hastily came to pick me up and take me home.”

Ebanks said that during her years at Old Harbour High School, her asthma attacks became infrequent, but whenever there was a severe attack, she would have to miss school.

“It also prevented me from being involved in sports and participating in Physical Education classes or doing anything that could affect my breathing,” Ebanks said, noting that in the period leading up to sitting her CSEC exams there were no major attacks.

The coronavirus pandemic that forced the closure of schools, resulting in the introduction of online classes, was very difficult for her.

“During this period, I got a break from physically going to classes, and it was the period that I was studying for my exams. It was really hard working from home because of the distractions, but I applied myself and established a study regime.

“I only had my room to clean, so I would sleep and then wake up and do my studies in the middle of the night until early morning, repeating this pattern until I sat my exams,” she told The Gleaner.

She was awarded several medals for her academic performance over the years, as well as being placed on the principal and vice-principal honour rolls.

PROVIDING SUPPORT

She credited her teachers for being attentive to her, always responding to her questions and queries. Ebanks also acknowledged her father for providing support throughout, and her mother and sister, who comforted her, always took interest in her studies.

Now moving on to sixth form, Ebanks, with ones in English, physics, biology, agricultural science, and information technology, as well as twos in mathematics, chemistry and social studies, will be studying chemistry, biology, integrated mathematics, and communication studies at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level in her quest to be a medical doctor.

Her father, Kevin Ebanks, said he dedicated himself to ensuring that she gets all the support he could afford, even working two jobs to provide for her; luckily, she had a health card thateased the financial burden, he noted.

“To say I am proud is an understatement,” he told The Gleaner.

Acting vice-principal in charge of programmes and events at Old Harbour High School, Kedist Wint, said Ebanks’ performance has reinforce the fact that students can do well in schools other than traditional high schools.

She described Ebanks as a consistent and dedicated student that lives up to the school motto ‘In Pursuit of Excellence’.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com