ELEVEN-year-old Travis Isaacs Jnr, fondly referred to as ‘TJ’, was expected to do well at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) exams. And so, whilst seated in front of the family’s television, he was greeted with the announcement that he was the sixth top performer at the 2015 sitting of those exams.

He was naturally elated. He had hoped to be the country’s top performer, but is pleased with his results, and now looks forward to the promise of his parents, Travis Snr and Beverly Isaacs, being fulfilled.

They had promised him a visit to Disneyland in the United States of America should he place first.

“But, he has done well,” posited Travis Isaacs Snr, who, minutes before, had walked into the school building beaming with pride, his son a few steps ahead.

“We will work on that (fulfillment of the promise) maybe for next summer. For now, I have to make preparations for his new school,” his father disclosed.

TJ’s performance has earned him a place at the prestigious Queen’s College in Georgetown. He worked hard to walk through the doors, which had previously heralded the arrival of some of Guyana’s greatest men and women.

His achievements were not without sacrifice. The pre-teen, who lives with his parents and a younger sister at Lot 6 Republic Road, New Amsterdam, had to attend extra lessons from Monday to Friday. He was prevented from watching television, but confessed to “peeking now and then.”

Travis Isaacs Jnr wants to be an architect, following in the footsteps of his father.
“I like designing. I would help my father in his business sometimes,” he mused.

Interjecting, school teacher Ms Ann Beeraspat asked, “Did you know he had secured the first position when he wrote the National Grade Two exam?”

“No,” I responded.

“Yes,” she returned.

TJ recalled that he was an ‘A’ student throughout his primary school years, but his performance would not have been as stellar had it not been for the continuous support of his parents, family members, teachers and friends.

“But it is the community that helped in raising my son,” the senior Isaacs posited.
“The community, the church (New Amsterdam Wesleyan), even the newspaper vendor who kept a copy of the papers every Sunday to ensure that ‘TJ’ works the Grade Six pages. They all were involved to make this dream a reality,” he confessed.

By Jeune VanKeric