Fifteen top performers from the community of Industry, on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), who all excelled at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), were on Sunday afternoon delighted to be awarded for their hard work.
The event which has been held for the past six years by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) through its women’s arm – the Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) and its groups in the area – seeks to show appreciation for, and act as a motivator, for the students of the area to excel.
The students including the country’s second place top performer Xiana Chablial along with Rebecca Seepersaud, Mehendra Pooran, Rajid Shafie, Deonarine Gowkarran, Richard Sharma, Priya Persaud, Crystal Vasconsellos, and others were all presented with trophies and other tokens which were donated by persons in the said community.
Speaking on behalf of herself and fellow awardees, Xiana Chablial thanked the PPP/C and the WPO for their generosity. Former Culture, Youth and Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony in his remarks at the event, underscored the importance of not only having a sound education but also a vision.
According to Dr Anthony, without a vision, although being very bright, it can cause many to lose sight of what it is they want to do.
“You need to think about 10 years from now and what it is that you would want to become and if you can do that, then you can also think about what sort of qualifications you need to achieve to get it. And if you can do that then it becomes easier because you’ll know where to place your efforts,” he told the students.
“Successful people are those who always think ahead; years ahead,” he told the students.
“Successful people always think ahead… that is, what it is that they would like to do with their lives. They just don’t go through life on a day to day basis. You have to constantly think about your future and start working to achieve that and that is called vision. If you have a vision for your life that is what will determine your approach.”
Dr Anthony’s daughter, Ashley, who copped seven grade ones in this year’s Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) exams, also spoke at the event where she gave the young students a ‘pep talk’ on how to continue to excel. “For you to become successful, it depends on yourself. You Xiana have to know yourself and determine what it is that you need to do to get where you want to be. Everybody is different so what works for you, works for you,” she urged.
She also congratulated the students and encouraged them to continue to pursue greatness. (Kizzy Coleman)
