Naps Girls’ winner: It’s all surreal to me

THERE was jubilation in the Presbyterian community as two of its five secondary schools copped the prestigious President’s Medals and grabbed 39 of the 100 scholarships offered on the basis of the CAPE 2020 examination.

Presbyterian Moderator Rev Joy Abdul-Mohan said the results were a credit to the hard work and sacrifice of all their principals, teachers, students and parents who discovered their ingenuity out of necessity during the global pandemic.

“They worked assiduously under great pressure and challenge in a virtual classroom and came out victoriously through God’s grace.”

At the Gopaul Land, Marabella home of Anjali Maharaj, one of two President Medal 2020 winners on Thursday evening, there was also rejoicing. Amrit Galbaran of Hillview College was the joint President Medal winner.

The past student of Naparima Girls’ High School who also won an open scholarship in the Business category was in disbelief.

Naparima Girls’s also took away the bulk of the 100 scholarship offered this year, gaining six open and six additional.

Speaking to the Newsday shortly after receiving the news from her principal Karen Bally, Maharaj said she was savouring the moment as it was all surreal to her.

“I can’t believe that I have won the President Medal. I mean I received all the necessary grades for that but there are so many children who excelled, I did not expect it. It is all surreal to me.”

Her mom, a retired Asja Boys College teacher for 31 years, Shrimatee Maharaj said she was not surprised that the second child for her and her husband Jinda, copped the medal as Anjali was a very hard worker and diligent student.

“I knew she would have done well,” Shrimatee said, pointing out that her elder daughter, Gina Maharaj a past student of NGHS, also won a national scholarship in the field of Humanities and is now a human rights lawyer working with the Living Waters Community.

Holding up Gina as a role model, Maharaj said she too aspired to win a national scholarship,

An all-round student who was engaged in the Indian Cultural Club, Business Club and Badminton Club, throughout her school life participating in dance, essay and art competitions and a virtual business, said she always tried to put her best foot forward in all she did.

Having decided to take a year off before attending university, Maharaj has already applied and been accepted to the University of Miami to study Finance and Accounting.

She said winning the scholarship will not change her plans as likes the programme being offered there.

NGHS principal Bally, who succeeded retired principal Carolyn Bally-Gosine in June 2020, credited the former principal with the school’s success.

“This is not my President Medal winner. It is Mrs Gosine. This is her last group of children.”

“We are elated. This is the second consecutive year NGHS would have received the President Medal in the business category. Shivanie Rampersad-Maharaj won it in 2019.”

She congratulated the students, staff and parents without whose support the success could not have been achieved.

“We are also very excited to be the school with the most number of scholarships, especially during the kind of times the children would have had to write exams with the pandemic and being at home and with the whole shift to online learning.”

She said once school was closed in March due to the pandemic, teachers really pulled together to reach their students working with them right down to the very end of exams.

Bally also congratulated their brother school, Hillview College on receiving the joint President Medal winner and 10 scholarships.

“We want to congratulate all of our sibling schools, Naparima Boys which received 10 scholarships, as well as St Augustine Girls’ which received seven.