Rio Claro West student wins school's first scholarship in CAPE modern studies

Rio Claro West Secondary School form six student Akeem De Caine has won the school's first scholarship in the modern studies/humanities in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

The 19-year-old, in a brief phone conversation with Newsday, said he was surprised by his additional scholarship win.

“I found out around 8 pm. I didn’t know. I was with my friends and someone passed us and congratulated me and I said, ‘Congrats for what?’” he joked.

“I thought it was a mistake, but then I got home and saw (several) missed calls and messages. It was a shock and I wasn’t expecting it. Nonetheless, I was excited. It was a roller coaster of emotions.”

The Ministry of Education released the list of 100 recipients for the 2021 CAPE exams on Wednesday evening. The scholarships are awarded in ten cognate groups and based on academic performance.

For the academic year 2020/2021, 44 open and 56 additional scholarships were awarded with 66 per cent awarded to female students and 34 per cent to male students.

De Caine’s sociology teacher Malissa Boochoon, who has been teaching at the school for 15 years, told Newsday on Thursday that the school has had scholarship and bursary winners in the past, with seven scholarship and two bursary recipients since 2013. She said most of the recipients have been in natural sciences.

“Rio Claro is a rural area,” said Boochoon. “It is a government school and we are breaking barriers by winning scholarships.

“We are proud and excited to have won our first modern studies scholarship. I think this year we are the only school in the south-east district to have won a scholarship.”

Boochoon described  De  Caine as a dedicated student.

“He is an all-round student (and) captain of the school’s football team. He comes from Mayaro.

“We know 2020 was a challenging year, but he took the transition from in-school to online (learning) and he was able to overcome those challenges and succeed.”

De Caine credited the support of his peers for his achievement in helping each other study.

He said he chose modern studies as a subject with the goal of pursuing law. However, he has since changed his mind.

“I’m looking at environmentalism. I like the outdoors so I’m in a battle between law and environmental studies.”

He advised CAPE students preparing for this year’s exam to listen to their parents and their teachers, and surround themselves with good friends who encourage their academic pursuits.

“You could push everything aside for one year. As long as you do that, everything will come easily.”