By Latrishka Thomas
Antigua and Barbuda’s top CSEC student says that her success was not achieved all on her own. In fact, she says “it took a village”.
Pia Nichols was the first-place student in this year’s CSEC exams. She received 17 grade one passes.
“I would not have been able to do it without my parents, without God, without my school and my teachers,” Pia told Observer.
The Cassada Gardens resident, who attends the Seaglans Central Seven Day Adventist Church in Glanvilles, said her faith had a major role to play in her remarkable achievement.
She went on to say that while the Covid-19 pandemic brought its share of academic challenges, the Baptist Academy “was really able to do it [transition to online learning] almost seamlessly”.
Nevertheless, the exams “all proved to be a challenge”.
But of them all, she said Mathematics was her favourite, and Physics and Economics “were close runners-up”.
The 17-year-old’s advice to other students is to “lean into whatever support you have, whatever you have, whoever you have, people who’ve done it before.
“Know what you need to do to understand the material. Know yourself and try to learn how you study best.”
Another student of Baptist Academy, Avein Joseph, was the second-place student. He was awarded 16 ones and one grade two.
Kofi Brown, the third-place student, gained 15 ones and two grade two passes.
Pia, the daughter of Dawn Nichols and Bernard Nichols, revealed that she and her peers collaborated every step of the way.
“We were still calling, texting, helping each other understand homework, studying together, sharing resources,” she said.
As a result, the entire class did exceptionally well in the exams.
The top scholar is now a student of Baptist Academy’s pre-college. She says that her end goal is to obtain a Doctorate in Economics.