– Kelly Hyles

By Akola Thompson
Since she received her acceptance letters from 21 of the 22 universities she applied to, eight of which were Ivy Leagues, Kelly Hyles became an overnight sensation, particularly in her home country Guyana which she left at the age of 11.

When it was announced that through the help of Political activist, Mark Benschop and Fly Jamaica Airways Kelly would be home for the Independence Jubilee celebrations, scores of Guyanese

began to have a feeling of excitement and pride.

Mark stated that while he sought to have Kelly home for Independence day which was her birthday, what he really wanted was for her to visit schools and engage with young people in an effort to inspire excellence in them. He expressed his disappointment in the Government’s seeming lack of concern over Kelly, stating that “it needs to be more than courtesy calls” while also stressing the amount of pride he had for her.

I myself did not know what to make of the young woman. Her feat of course, which has earned her countless interviews with newspapers and talk show hosts, is a remarkable one but I wondered about the girl behind the scholar and what that girl had to offer.

Due to her busy schedule, which saw her visiting several schools, business places and events, I had to settle for a fly along interview to Bartica with Kelly where she visited two high schools to share her story with the students.

Upon our first meeting, I stretched out a palm to welcome her but instead, felt myself being pulled into a tight embrace. She had just come from the Bishop’s High School where she had met with students, saying that it was one of the greatest feelings to be able to inspire students to pursue their studies and dreams.

Shortly after, we entered the plane for the 30-minute plane ride to Bartica and it was then, aside from occasionally hurling jokes at her aunt and mother that Kelly began to talk about her childhood.

In the small, quiet community of Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara is where she attended Primary School.

“In Vryheid,” she said, “our teachers would always try to see the best in us and would encourage us in everything.” This, she said helped her to become more confident in herself as a student and would set the path to her becoming the well-rounded person she is today.

At the time, Kelly lived with her brother and parents, who would later become separated. She said that like most small communities, “everyone knew everyone in Vryheid which would see everyone calling others either aunty or uncle.” As such, her childhood is filled with fond memories of afternoon visits to friends, family and those who were like family.

While they were not a rich family, she said, they were not particularly poor and as such, while she and her brother got everything they needed, they did not get everything they particularly wanted but they were taught to be content and humble and it is a lesson she has forgotten.

In the hopes of seeking better economic circumstances and educational opportunities, Kelly said her mother decided that they would all migrate to the United States of America.

“It was a big culture shock for me,” she said laughing.

“It was just another country, but it was different. Back in Guyana, I was accustomed to calling everyone aunty and uncle and not passing anyone on the road without saying good morning or afternoon, but in Brooklyn that wasn’t the case, people would pass you without looking at you.”

When she became enrolled in middle school, her head teacher, who was also Guyanese , told her to keep up her grades, as she wanted her to become valedictorian of the school, “and I did become valedictorian.”

Her first academic disappointment she said was when she wrote her first SAT’s. “I didn’t score as high as I wanted to so I was very disappointed in myself but, I was intent on doing well so I decided to write them a second time. I studied all summer and I was rewarded for my hard work.”

Upon receiving her new score, she said, she was ecstatic and decided that she would apply to 22 colleges. “I applied to so many, not because I thought I was going to get into all but because I knew I was adaptable and every college I applied to, there was something about them that I could just picture myself in.”

Hoping to become a neurosurgeon, Kelly said she choose Harvard not only because of their strong Science department but because they have a very good mix of Science & Liberal Arts such as Political Science and Race Relations. Also, Harvard was by far the college in which she felt the most welcomed, “I can see myself there for the next four years.”

Asked if being a neurosurgeon was always her dream, Kelly grinned and said she had always wanted to be a judge. “Before I left Guyana, I told my teachers they would one day hear about Judge Hyles. I think I wanted to be a judge because I’m a very curious soul but now that curiosity has led me towards the sciences.”

Aside from academia, Kelly was a dancer and a cheerleader at her high school. Asked what kind of music she usually dances to, Kelly laughed and said, “every time I get the opportunity to choreograph, I choose Soca and Dancehall- the majority of those in the dance group are from different cultures and countries so they all enjoy it.”

“A lot of people think I just study all the time, but you can go places while remaining grounded.”

She never had discrimination based on race or gender thrown at her, she knows that these are still very real problems and as such, following the string of police shootings against black men in America, she along with fellow students began the Black Student Union. “We try not to focus only on Black tension however, but we also try to focus on Black excellence and encourage it as much as possible. We are also not strictly a ‘black’ group, we welcome anyone who wants to join,” she said.

The Union she said, is one of the things she is most proud; she feels as if it is her “little baby.
“When I graduate I’ll be so sad because I won’t be able to run it anymore and that I won’t be able to tutor the kids in my school anymore.”

Not sure whether she would ever return to Guyana permanently as there are not enough opportunities here, Kelly said that Guyana will always have a special place in her heart and she wants to help it as much as she possibly could.

As the plane began its descent, I asked Kelly what her plans after graduation are, to which she said, “Relax.

“All this attention has made me really happy but I feel like if I have this greater sense of responsibility with people reaching out to me and being motivated and it is a bit hard.

“So all I want to is have fun with friends and family.”