Veshala & Saanjali star in CAPE scholarships

JOAN RAMPERSAD and SHANE SUPERVILLE

Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College can now boast of achieving a hattrick of President’s Medal winners.

It was announced yesterday that the school’s very own, Veshala Goon and St Augustine Girls High School’s (SAGHS) Saanjali Maharaj both won the prestigious award for academic excellence in the 2017 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE).

An elated Goon yesterday thanked God, her family and teachers of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College for her success.

“I still can’t believe it. This is taking a while to sink in, but I feel so proud. I really can’t believe it,” Goon said. Asked the secret to success, Goon said: “I prayed every day and the support from my family, my teachers and everyone who believed in me, played a major role in my achievements.”

Goon got distinctions in all subjects she sat: Accounting, Management of Business, Economics, Caribbean Studies and Communications. But it was not all work and no play for her. During her secondary school life, Goon said, she did something different every year including board games, martial arts and yoga.

Wanting to pursue accountancy, Goon has already registered with the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS) in Champs Fleurs, to be a chartered accountant.

“I have a real passion for accounting but at first I had trouble deciding what I wanted to do. Last year in lower six, I placed first in the region for CAPE Accounting 2 and I think it was because of this, I decided to go on that path of accounting.”

Goon also had a short stint with accounting firm Ernst and Young in the last two months and said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Goon, who turns 19 on December 22, said that for the next few days she will be celebrating with friends and going on a special dinner with her family.

Asked what advice she had for fellow students she said: “Just keep praying and believe in yourself. Family plays a big part in this success.

Parents need to support their children and the family must all pray and things will work out,” Goon said.

Her father Naarad Goon, a car park security with Extra Foods Supermarket, Grand Bazaar was emotional yesterday as news of his daughter’s achievement sank in.

“I feel too proud for words. I can’t express my feelings in words.

It is something so wonderful and she just keep making us happy. She is simply amazing,” Goon said. Mother, Parbatee Goon chimed in,”I’m happy and proud. I don’t know what else to say.”

School Principal Sonia Mahase-Persad yesterday said Goon’s success is a reflection of the school’s deep-rooted policy of taking a holistic approach to education, grounded in balancing intense academics with a myriad of extra-curricular activities.

“It was not totally unexpected to be honest. We have several students who were up there in contention for the President’s Medal.

Veshala is a balanced, all-round student and on behalf of the entire school staff, I offer her warmest congratulations. We are all very, very proud of her. We are elated with her achievement which has brought further glory to Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College,” Mahase-Persad said.

Lakshmi in 2015, won the President’s Medal for Business; Science in 2016 and Business this year.

SAANJALI KEEPS RISING

SAGHS past pupil Sanjali Maharaj, the other President’s Medal winner, yesterday said she is not stopping with this achievement and aims to go further in her goal to pursue studies in aerospace engineering. Maharaj said she was deeply honoured by the award and credited her success to her parents.

Also crucial to her success was a tireless work ethic and balanced schedule.

“I’m really over the moon right now, which is in keeping with the SAGHS motto of ‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’, which translates, ‘Through Work to the Stars’. I’ve worked hard and sacrificed tremendously and I’m very satisfied with the results,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj, a year one student at the University of Toronto in Canada advised students to incorporate extracurricular activities into their schedules to allow for more balanced development.

“I’ve studied classical Indian dance and playing the guitar for a while.

It’s something that really relaxes me and I feel that it’s important for everyone to find a hobby that they are comfortable with that relaxes them and stick with it. I never focused entirely on academics. I always found a way to incorporate both.

Saanjali’s mother Sandra Maharaj said she is very proud of her daughter’s accomplishments and added that in her experience, crucial to the academic success of a child, was involvement from parents. She said that while parents should encourage their children to succeed, it is important they be left to enjoy their childhood.

“As a parent I can say its very important that parents show an interest in their child’s education and progress at school. When it comes time to choosing their subjects in secondary school, talk to them and don’t force them to do subjects you want them to do. Find out their passion and what they are interested in.

Be there for them, not just when they are in the exam room,” Maharaj said.

Saanjali said she intends to continue her undergraduate degree in Engineering and is optimistic she would continue to make her parents proud. She is expected to return to Canada later today.

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