Chronicle reporters Nadine Sanchara and Jeanna Pearson yesterday spoke to several of the top students at this year’s CESC examinations. Following are

the reactions to their outstanding achievements of which not only  themselves and their families, friends and teachers are proud, but all Guyanese as well.

PHILLIPE WALKER: 3rd
Sixteen-year-old Phillipe Walker, a student of Queen’s College, who placed third in this year’s CSEC examinations described his feelings as “overjoyed and excited” which was quite evident when the Guyana Chronicle visited him at his home in Georgetown, yesterday.
Walker gained 16 Grade Ones and 1 Grade Two. He related that he first learnt of his results when he checked his grades online on Monday night. However, he said he  became aware that he placed third in the country only yesterday morning.
The lad stated that he had never really set high expectations, but rather worked really hard. While he is very proud of himself, he said that he still believes he could have done better.
Nevertheless, the aspiring paediatrician will be pursuing the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) at Queen’s College in the new academic year, before moving on to study medicine.
An only child, Walker thanks God, his parents and his teachers for contributing to his success.

AKEILA WILTSHIRE: 3rd
Walker shares the third position with 16-year-old Akeila Wiltshire, also of Queen’s College, who earned that spot with 16 Grade Ones and 1 Grade Two.
Wiltshire told the Chronicle that she did not expect to perform that well. As such, she is quite happy and elated. She noted that she was a bit nervous about her results, but now she is relieved.
She explained that her hard work paid off because she studied every day, but always ensured that she had time for recreational activities and got enough rest.
The young lady will be pursuing CAPE studies at Queen’s College before moving on to a university degree in the science field. However, she said she has not yet chosen a career path.
Wiltshire thanks her parents and teachers of Queen’s College, as well as those she took extra lessons from, for her success.

CECIL COX: 5th
Cecil Cox, another student of Queen’s College placed fifth in the country at this year’s CSEC examinations with 16 Grade Ones.
In a telephone interview yesterday, a very calm and confident Cox told this newspaper that he had expected to perform well in the exams.
While he was a hard worker, he said he believes that he probably studied less than most persons. He related that he worked a lot of past papers and focused mainly on creating links between subjects, as many of them have common elements.
Cox further stated that while this worked for him, every person has a study routine that works for them. As such, he advises younger students to find out what works for them and to stick to that.
The young man will be going on to sixth form at Queen’s College and subsequently sit CAPE. He also intends to pursue higher education at a university overseas. However, he is still undecided as to what career he wishes to pursue and is also not as yet sure what field of study he will be pursuing at the tertiary level.

AKASH JAIRAM: 6th
With 16 Grade Ones, 2 Grade Twos and a Grade Three, 16-year-old Akash Jairam placed sixth in Guyana at the CSEC exams, and still believes that he should have done better.
Nevertheless, he said that he is happy with his grades, noting that his hard work has shown results. He explained that he was up late many nights working on School Based Assessments (SBAs) and past papers. He also revealed that he took a lot of extra lessons and did not get much time to do actual “studying”.
Jairam will begin classes for CAPE at Queen’s College in the new academic year and promises to make his school proud once again.
He also aspires to attend Harvard University to study Business and while he said he does not want to limit himself in terms of a career, he noted that he wants to do something in the field of business. He further stated that he wants to acquire skills that are beyond what is needed for a “regular” job.
Jairam thanks the head mistress and teachers of Queen’s College, whom he said were very instrumental in his studies.

SHARMILLA RAMLALL: 7th
“I felt like I was jumping on a rainbow!” an excited Sharmilla Ramlall told the Chronicle yesterday after receiving the news of her CSEC results.  Gaining the seventh position at this year’s CSEC examination, Sharmilla said she had achieved one of her biggest dreams: to make her parents proud. The 16 year-old said that early yesterday morning she received a call from her cousin, who was shouting, “Sharmilla it’s online! It’s online!” and upon checking the grades she discovered that she had obtained 15 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos. Aspiring to study medicine, Sharmilla related that she was now reaping the benefits of hard work and sleepless nights. “I am very happy and proud,” she said, laughing. After sitting the examination, The Queen’s College student related that she had decided to keep an open mind about the reality of her grades. “I didn’t want to expect anything. All I knew was that I worked hard so I knew that whatever came should be good.”

CRYSTAL NELSON: 8th
With 15 Grade Ones and one Grade Two, Crystal shared the eighth position with Shahrazaad Khan, a Queen’s College student. The St. Rose’s High student was overjoyed when contacted by this newspaper yesterday. She stated that earlier in the morning her friend called her and broke the news. “She called me and said that I top the school…and here I was scared and God was working things out for me,” Crystal said, adding that she could not explain the joy that was welling inside her. Crystal said she had no preconception that after long nights and many months of studying that she would be among this year’s top students.
Crystal stated that she was still trying to figure out a career path for her own life, “but I do know that I will study for sixth form and go straight to UG [University of Guyana].”
The 16 year old  said she was grateful for the support of parents and teachers who encouraged her to study hard.

SHAHRAZAAH KHAN: 8th
Sixteen-year-old Shahrazaad Khan, a student of Queen’s College, achieved 15 Grade Ones and one Grade Two, earning her a top spot in the eighth position in the country.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Khan said while she expected to perform well, she did not expect to do this well. As such, she is thankful and understandably excited.
She explained that she did not have a specific study routine, but did have many sleepless nights which she spent studying.
Khan plans to pursue a university education in forensics as she aspires to become a forensic scientist. However, she is still exploring her options as it relates to universities.
The young lady is thankful to Allah, her parents, grandparents, two younger siblings, other relatives and teachers for providing the support and guidance she needed to succeed.

PARMESHIVANIE SEODAT: 10th
With 15 grade ones this Saraswatie Vidya Niketan secondary school student related that she had been determined to excel in the examinations but never expected the magnitude of her results. She stated that excelling was instilled within her because she was granted a scholarship to study at the private school. “That made me work harder. I wanted to please them and my parents,” she said, recalling that she was afraid that she might not excel. “I asked my friend to check the grades online because I was scared.”
She added that one of her friends told her ‘to aim for the stars and if I fall I will fall on the cloud.’ Those words became her motivation to success, and then she started spending extra hours studying. Parmeshivanie said that she also balanced studying with her leisure time. “I use to read a lot,” she related, adding that she plans to further her study at the University of Guyana. She hopes to become a medical practitioner one day. She shared the 10th position with Rafena Mustapha, who is also a student at Saraswatie Vidya Niketan.

RAFENA MUSTAPHA: 10th
“I am satisfied and happy with my results,” 16-year-old Rafena Mustapha told the Chronicle yesterday in a telephone interview. With 15 Grade Ones, this young lass gained the 10th position at this year’s CSEC exams. She related that around 11:15 pm on Monday, her mother woke her up from sleep and announced the 15 grades ones. “I was so shocked; I had to check for myself,” she stated. After long nights of studying, Rafena said she could finally smile, recalling the period of CSEC as tedious.
“At school we worked a lot of old CXC papers. It was hard but it was really exciting that we were able to pull it off,” the Saraswatie Vidya Niketan student said, adding that she was driven to work hard because her family had great expectations. “I wanted to please them.”
The aspiring psychologist said that she was thankful to her mother for the support and also to her teachers and schoolmates who pushed her to strive for excellence. She plans to continue studying abroad in the fields of either psychology or neuroscience.

FATIMA HANIFF: 12th
Sixteen year-old Fatima Haniff of ISA Islamic Academy gained 14 Grade Ones in the examinations, earning her  the 12th position. When contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, Fatima was overwhelmed with excitement and joy.
She stated that every day she had dedicated time to study and was fully supported by her parents. She related that she was always pushed by them to strive for excellence. “My parents were always with me. They deserve all the credit…I don’t. And so does Allah. I am grateful for both of my parents and Allah because they helped me and supported me.”
She recalled checking the CSEC website on Monday and praying that she came out successful. “I never expected this though…I am so speechless. I don’t know what to say…praise be to Allah.”

ROMINI SUKHAL: 12th
This 17 year old said that she was still shocked that she gained 14 Grade Ones and one Grade Two at this year’s CSEC exams. She recalled herself crying when she checked her grades Monday night on the CSEC website. “I was crying and then I started to smile because I knew at that moment all the hard work, all the sleepless nights had paid off,” Romini told this newspaper yesterday in a telephone interview. The Saraswatie Vidya Niketan student added that during the period leading up to the examinations her teachers were working tirelessly with her class. “I’m proud of them…my teachers, for the hard work they put in,” the aspiring accountant stated. She stated that reading books, which were mostly novels, contributed greatly to her success.

ANURADHA SOOKDEO: 12th
This young aspiring journalist also shone at the 12th position after obtaining 14 Grade Ones and one Grade Two at the CSEC exams. The 17 year old recalled sitting in front of her computer on Monday night, surrounded by her parents and brothers, when she saw her grades. “It was a moment to seize. My family were there and it’s their success also because they are the backbones of my success…So I’m very thankful for them,” she told this newspaper yesterday. Anuradha, who attends the Saraswatie Vidya Niketan Secondary School, stated that her teachers also shared in her accomplishment, explaining that without their support and encouragement it would have been impossible.  “Somewhat I expected at least 10 Grade Ones but never 14. I wanted to make everyone proud…my family, my parents and all of my teachers,” the excited girl related, adding that she had applied to Tampa University in Florida to study journalism and law.

NABEEHA ALI: 12th
Seventeen-year-old Nabeeha Ali of Queen’s College gained 14 Grade Ones and one Grade Two, earning her 12th position at this year’s CSEC exams.
When the Guyana Chronicle contacted her yesterday, Ali said she was relieved and very excited, since she was a bit worried about her results.
She said, though, that she is very happy that her hard work has paid off. She explained that she never had a study schedule or anything of the sort, but did study whenever she had the time. Ali further explained that she also worked hard on ensuring that her SBAs were out of the way.
She noted that she has not yet decided on a career and as such, intends to use the two years of sixth form at Queen’s College, to do so.
She is grateful to God, her parents and other family members and her teachers for her success.

SASHA WOODROFFE: 18th
This 16 year-old QC student tied at number 18 with four other students.  “I’m quite relieved,” she said, adding that she never expected attaining 14 Grades Ones and became overwhelmed when she received the news of her performance. “I got satisfactory grades so the hard work paid off,” an elated Sasha said, praising her family and teachers for their encouragement and support. The next challenge for the 16 year-old is studying to become an economist, she said, relating that Economics and Mathematics were her favourite subjects.

MUNESHWAR SINGH: 18th
Muneshwar said that his motivation was his mother. “She pushed me,” the 17 year old stated, minutes after he came out of driving class. He added that his best friend, Parmeshivanie Seodat, who made it in the top 10, bothered him every day to complete his homework. Muneshwar, who is a Canadian citizen, recalled this being a culture shock for him since in Canada there wasn’t a lot of interest placed on completing homework and assignments. “She used to tell me to do my homework…and I did. I read a lot and I did a lot of research,” Muneshwar recollected. Nevertheless, the news that he had obtained 14 Grade Ones was shocking. “I was shocked. I woke up five o’clock this morning and I checked it and I was amazed,” he said.  When asked what he would say to encourage students, the Saraswatie Vidya Niketan student encouraged other students to ignore distractions because in the end it will be beneficial. “With 14 Grade Ones I feel on top of the world.”

NICHOLAS ELLIOT: 18th
This 17 year old said that his CSEC result was nothing short of what he had expected. The Queen’s College student related that the Physics examination was challenging, but he had been determined to ‘aim high’ and it eventually paid off.  Nicholas stated that he has taken up a new aspiration, to become the next chief executive officer of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. He stated that he has planned to write the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) before leaving Guyana to further his studies at a recognised institution of higher learning. He would like to encourage other students to discover their capabilities and set targets consistent with those abilities.