Nikiela earns lone scholarship for Shiva Boys'
Nineteen-year-old Nikiela Baptiste, a former student of Shiva Boys' Hindu College in Penal, has been awarded a national scholarship and is a step closer to realising her dreams of one day becoming a forensic pathologist.
Baptiste, the eldest of five, from Gasparillo, also won a Lester B Pearson International scholarship and is now pursuing studies in forensic science at the University of Toronto.
Her mother Terri-Ann Twitts-Baptiste told Sunday Newsday that the scholarships came as no surprise owing to her dedication and commitment to succeed.
Twitts-Baptiste said: "Nikiela is an active child. She is into sports, academics, clubs, a little of everything. It did not come as a surprise as she has been able to accomplish whatever she has set out to do thus far."
Baptiste was awarded an open scholarship in mathematics, having completed her CAPE examinations.
The college’s principal Dexter Sakal congratulated Baptiste saying she was an extremely hardworking student.
"She worked without needing supervision. Nikiela was focused, committed and had her goal in mind. She desired to win a scholarship and she worked extremely hard for it. She did 10 subjects and got 10 ones."
Baptiste, he said, was also an athlete and represented the school in the St Patrick’s educational district in running. She is the school’s lone scholarship winner for 2019 and the third in the open category.
"We won two in business in 2008. So, this is the first open in mathematics. In all, we won about 15, 12 additional and three open since our first CAPE exams in 2006. We do not judge our success only by scholarship because a lot of children have done well. But a scholarship is something we appreciate."
On Tuesday, via Shiva Boys' Facebook page, the college congratulated her saying it came as no surprise as "Nikiela was a winner from day one."
Part of the post read, "Good luck in your future endeavours, Nikiela. Keep reaching for the stars and continue making us proud! Thanks also go out to her dedicated and hard-working teachers. Well done."
Baptiste in a post on social media repeatedly thanked Sakal and "everyone" at Shiva Boys’ who made her dream a reality.
"He not only believed in me but supported me and pushed at every step. He always looked out for my well-being both in and out of the classroom. No words can sum the vast gratitude I have towards him," Baptiste said.
She explained she attended St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando for most of her secondary school tenure and intended on finishing there. However, in 2017, the school told her she was incapable of doing mathematics in addition to two sciences at the CAPE level. She said she was shocked, and she was determined to excel.
Baptiste said in the post, "Thankfully, my parents supported my decision and trusted in my abilities. My family has a long history with Shiva Boys’ as my aunt and cousins attended there and had only positive remarks about the staff and the atmosphere, so we made the trip to Shiva Boys’ that very day."
Without the slightest hesitation, Sakal, she said, welcomed her and instantly she fell in love with the cheer and merriment of the school.
"The air was filled with laughter both inside and outside of class. A lot of great memories were made with some remarkable people that I am truly grateful that I was able to interact with during my stay at the school."
She added, "The staff at Shiva Boys’ is like no other. The teachers work tirelessly in making the classes engaging and comprehensible. They make learning easy and enjoyable. It was truly refresher for me because I had become accustomed to a lecture style of teaching."
However, she observed that some students limited themselves and did not seem to understand their potential. Some also failed to utilise the amazing resources present to them in the form of teachers, Baptiste said.
"The teachers not only gave of their time in preparing for the class. They also came out during their vacation to ensure that we were ready for the examinations in addition to answering messages during their personal time when I had any issues with the content."
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"Nikiela earns lone scholarship for Shiva Boys’"