The Vincentian lass, who copped the CXC’s most outstanding candidate for Geography in the 2020 CXC CSEC exams, is encouraging future students to work hard if they want to achieve success.

Kenezia Baynes, a former student of the St Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua, received the Professor Wilma Bailey award during a virtual ceremony on Thursday, June 3, which was hosted by CXC for their annual presentation of awards for outstanding performances in the July/August 2020 examinations.

The award was presented on behalf of CXC by Kay Martin Jack, the senior education officer with responsibility for secondary schools.

“It came to me as a shock, so I didn’t really know how to feel in that moment, but as days passed by and it really sank in, I was like ‘wow, I really did this?’

I was really proud of myself because never have I imagined that I could achieve something like this, but of course, my parents did,” Baynes said in a video interview with the SVG Education Media Unit.

In the video, which was published on Facebook, the award winner said she always had a passion for the sciences in secondary school and that Geography was one of her favourite subjects.

She said that while there is at least one boring topic in every subject, that is not the case with Geography.

“…I fell in love with it in form 2 when we dealt with the sea and formation of those sea sponges and how everything comes together and how coral reefs are made. It’s really fascinating, the whole topic in general,” Baynes said.

The former St Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua student is now a first-year student at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College where she is currently studying Geography, Environmental Science and Computer Science.

Inspite of her love for the subject, Baynes said she does not intend to have a career based on Geography, as she aspires to be a cardiac care nurse in the future.

 “To those who will be taking the CXC examination this year, I would just like to tell you that hard work brings success.

No matter how easy you think the subject is, put in your effort because at the end of the day, you want to be able to look at your grades and be comfortable and happy and make whoever sacrifices whatever for you, to be proud of you,” she said.

The young scholar expressed gratitude to God, her mother and aunt, and Geography teacher – all of whom have encouraged and assisted her throughout her academic life so far.