Eight Campion College students have earned places in Ivy League Colleges in a year when some have reported low admissions.
Harvard University’s acceptance rate fell to 3.19 per cent, the lowest since it was founded in 1636.
The students have received scholarships or significant financial aid from their respective universities, some covering up to 80 per cent of fees.
Principal Grace Baston told The Gleaner that she was very proud of her students.
“We feel strongly that many of these schools want our students and want them not just because they are bright. We believe it’s also our work on character formation, trying to create men and women for others, who care about something more than just themselves and making a difference in the world. This is part of what makes them more attractive to these schools, so we are proud of them, especially those who managed to get some good scholarship money,” Baston said.
The outstanding students have also received national placements in at least three subjects administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council.
AJ Nakash earned 10 grade ones at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and five grades ones in Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Unit One.
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, Nakash balanced studies at Campion with Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) preparation.
“It (COVID-19) almost helped with time management because I could do so much remotely. I could do classes back to back without having to travel,” he said.
The 18-year-old student applied to Harvard and Yale and got accepted to both universities.
“It was a lot of screaming and excitement. I am grateful to everyone who has helped me to get to this point because they had the lowest acceptance rate they have ever had and also the most applicants, so I just know that it was harder than it has ever been. I am grateful that they chose me,” said Nakash, who will be pursuing studies in economics and mathematics.
He added that his year group is special because they have never had an easy time when it came to major exams. The 2015 Grade Six Achievement Test was postponed by a week due to a fire at Riverton and COVID-19 hit Jamaica a few months before CSEC examinations in 2020.
“CAPE got delayed as well and some of the SAT sittings were delayed about two days before we were to sit them, but that only made us stronger and more resilient,” Nakash said.
Isabel Matthews has always considered herself to be a “strong student”, a standard achieved from excellent familial and academic support.
“Going into CSEC during the pandemic, I was nervous because it was like the big unknown, but I did well. I got all ones. I did my first two CSEC subjects in fourth form and then I did the other eight in fifth form,” Matthews said, adding that she also earned five ones in CAPE Unit One.
The 18-year-old recalled that she sometimes gave up socialising to get in an extra practice test.
Matthews applied to Princeton University’s early action programme, which is non-binding but restrictive, meaning that she could only apply to one college early.
“I got in and I didn’t apply to any other college because that’s where I wanted to go. Sometimes I don’t think it actually hit me yet because when I was younger, I always said I don’t think I’d want to go to an Ivy because I didn’t think I was smart enough, but as I got older I said, ‘If I am at the top school in Jamaica and I am excelling and I am at the top of my class, then it is possible’,” she said.
Matthews will be studying bioengineering or biomedical engineering.
Justin Clarke has been coding since he was nine years old, and in the coming months, he will commence studies in computer science at Columbia University.
The student has always had to manage his time well as his school week involved daily commute from Portland. But when he moved to Kingston in fifth form, he had more time on his hands to dedicate to schoolwork, SAT preparation and other facets of school life.
He received 10 grade ones in CSEC, four grade ones in CAPE and a place at one of the eight Ivy League institutions.
“I was astonished, surprised and amazed. It was a marvellous experience. I told my mommy and we jumped up and down,” he recounted, adding that securing a spot in an Ivy League school means that the work he has put in so far has paid off and also that he has been granted an opportunity to research, explore and pursue his passion.
Clarke told The Gleaner that his entire life has been engrossed in computer science and he spent most of his afternoons working on coding projects, and commissions.
“I genuinely find coding fun and engaging and it so happens to be lucrative. I have been coding every day since first form. When I got home from school, I would code and then do my homework in the morning,” he said with a chuckle.
Aulanni Kidd copped nine grade ones in CSEC and four grade ones in CAPE Unit One.
She recalled that she was very stunned when she received the acceptance and stared at her laptop for a few moments before sharing the news with her family.
Kidd considers her acceptance to Dartmouth College as a grand accomplishment.
“I am very proud that I kept true to myself, did all the work and it paid off. Now, I am going on to pursue higher education at an institution where I can learn so many things and then come back and help to build Jamaica,” Kidd said.
The 19-year-old will be undertaking studies in biochemistry, on the pre-medical track to her career in paediatrics.
“I really love the sense of community. I like the study abroad opportunities that they have, the alumni network and how connected they are and I also wanted to go somewhere cold,” she shared as some of her reasons for applying under the college’s early-decision programme.
Kidd credited the quality education received at Campion coupled with parental support, for the academic success she has achieved thus far.
Ethan Chang has made a family dream a reality with his acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania.
The Campionite, who received nine grade ones and five ones in CSEC and CAPE, respectively, applied to 14 colleges and got accepted to 10.
Though he has not enrolled yet, he is leaning towards Penn.
“It is a very prestigious place to be, but personally, it means a lot to me. My dad always wanted me to be the first person in the family to attend an Ivy League college. I was probably about six when I said I wanted to go Harvard for medicine, so my dad and I would always talk about it and he would often tell me that that’s where I am going to end up,” Chang said.
Medicine will be pursued as his second degree, but for the upcoming semester he will be commencing studies in biology, biochemistry or neuroscience.
Chelsea Williams began her journey at Campion in third form, after completing two years of education at St Andrew High School for girls.
“I have been on the honour roll for all of my years, so I have always considered myself to be academically inclined. I got 10 in CSEC and five ones in CAPE,” she told The Gleaner.
She applied early to her dream school and got deferred, so she went on to apply to more than 10 colleges.
Williams got accepted into five colleges, including Dartmouth College, but has not made the ultimate decision.
“It is definitely surreal. I remember on Ivy day, I was really nervous, and I remember praying to God to ask Him to take me through the day, even if it meant that I got a rejection,” she recalled.
The 18-year-old is passionate about environmental conservation and is likely to pursue studies in environmental policy.
“I have always been unsure about what I want to study, so going to a liberal arts school was always my dream, so I will have room to explore and feel out different fields of study before I settle on a single one,” she explained.
Matthew Sinclair’s journey with hyperhidrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating, spurred his interest in neuroscience, since he was a grade two student.
A decade later, he has been accepted into two Ivy League colleges, Columbia and Princeton universities, to pursue studies in the field.
“It is a very difficult choice to make, but in the coming month, I will be deciding which one is the best fit for me. It was a mixture of relief, happiness and almost every emotion I can think of. The college application process is so gruelling and to finally see it come to a beautiful end was a lot of joy,” Sinclair said.
In 2020, he earned 11 ones in CSEC, five ones in CAPE Unit One the following year and hopes to excel in like manner at the university he chooses.
“I have a neurological disorder and students made fun of me in primary school, so my curious brain led me to do some research and that was when I found out there was no cure. So that research was my introduction and since then it has been my passion,” Sinclair said.
Taylor-Jade Hall made a schedule and stuck to it as she attended online classes and prepared for SATs.
She received nine grade ones in CSEC and four grade ones in CAPE.
Hall told The Gleaner that she spent dedicated time on SAT prep at least three days per week to gradually build on her skills and improve as the exam date approached.
She applied to Florida International University and Cornell University, but chose the Ivy League college after receiving both acceptance letters.
Hall recalled that it was a surreal experience when she learnt that she was accepted. It lifted a weight off her shoulders, because she had been worrying about it for weeks.
“Cornell is the best fit for me. It has a very lovely environment, very rounded in the courses that it offers. I do have an idea of what I want to do in the future, but if I change my mind, I know that whatever I select, they will have an excellent programme and faculty to help me achieve my goal,” Hall said.
The Campionite will be majoring in biological sciences, as she prepares to get on the pre-medical track.