SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Nabeel Baksh on Wednesday last attained one of his goals when he graduated at the top of his class at the Calvin M Woodward High School, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America.
Baksh left Guyana almost four years ago at age 14. He attended the Leonora Primary School on the West Coast of Demerara and then later Queen’s College, where he spent his first two years of high school.

He was in the top 100 for Guyana’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), placing 64th.
According to Baksh, when he left Guyana for the US, making new friends was his biggest challenge. But he remained an outstanding student now. He intends to study Supply Chain Management at the Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

The young man decided to study in this field because he found it to be interesting in high school.
In high school, Baksh earned 27 hours of college credit and played soccer and baseball.

Due to his excellent performance, he was awarded over US$60,000 in scholarships. These came from different institutions such as Old Newsboys Goodfellow Association of Toledo Ohio, the Bowling Green State University, Walcott Ohio, and his high school’s alumni.

Baksh has a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.05 and was part of the National Honour Society. He loves community service acts so he would often volunteer at Christmas Day parades and the Special Olympics.
He thanked his parents for their support throughout his high school life and he now aims to provide a better life for his family, including his two younger brothers, and a younger sister.

During Baksh’s valedictorian speech at his graduation, he congratulated his fellow graduates and thanked his family and friends for their support.
“My parents decided to migrate so that better opportunities would be provided, and here I am standing before you, taking advantage of those opportunities,” he told the audience.

Baksh said that his classmates were compassionate and respectful as they accepted him despite their cultural differences and made him feel welcome.
“They accepted me for who I am despite our differences, and instead of shying away from my religious and cultural background, they chose to learn more about it,” he explained.

Baksh said that he and his classmates are a powerhouse of innovation and creativity as they have survived the hardship of a global pandemic and they will continue to push boundaries to make the world a better place.
Baksh thanked the school, graduates, counsellors, custodian crew, teachers, and other Woodward staff for welcoming him into the school and making him feel safe.

Baksh left the audience with a quote from his favourite television show, Supernatural: “You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die, or you can keep fighting no matter what,” Baksh related.
He urged his fellow graduates to give it their best and scream their defiance to conquer what they must.