‘I did my best… I did excellent!’

A candidate from the Mountain View Adventist Academy (MVAA) has joined the exclusive group of regional students who have successfully written 20 or more Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects in a single sitting.

Eric Febuary, a 2016 graduate of the school wrote 20 subjects in the May/June sitting of the exam and secured grade one passes in 17 and grade two passes in the other three.

The 16-year-old received grade one passes in Additional Mathematics, Agricultural Science SA, Biology, Caribbean History, Chemistry, Electronic Document Preparation Management, English A, English B, Food and Nutrition, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Office Administration, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business and Spanish. The grade two passes were in Geography, Home Economics Management and Social Studies.{{more}}

When SEARCHLIGHT sat down with the Febuary family on Wednesday at their Calder Ridge home, Eric disclosed that he he studied from 4:30 p.m. to 10 or 11 pm, which meant that he did not go to bed more than one hour later than his usual bedtime.

He also stated that his parents, who are both teachers at the MVAA, ensured that he had enough time to relax before he started his studies.

“It wasn’t really hard to study because I’d already been studying throughout the years I was at Mountain View,” the humble teen said.

Eric shared that he entered secondary school with the dream of doing a large number of subjects.

“At that point it was just a dream and I wanted to do 16 subjects; that was always in my head, but as time went on and I started to show myself proficient in many of the subject areas, I started to seriously compile a list of subjects that I would be able to do,” he said.

By the end of the third form and with the help of his parents, Eric’s list was complete and it numbered 20.

The eldest of four children, Eric advises upcoming scholars to first believe that they are capable of achieving their goals and that God is capable of helping them to achieve them.

“Whatever anybody puts their minds to they are able to do it,” said the young man, who migrated to SVG from Guyana with his family 11 years ago.

Now that he has done 20 subjects, other students in SVG might be challenged to better his record.

Eric brings to eight, the number of students in the region, who have been successful in 20 or more CSEC subjects in a single sitting. According to statistics obtained from the CXC, five of these students are from Guyana, two from Antigua and Barbuda and one from SVG.

The student holding the record for the most outstanding performance at CSEC is Brandon Judnarine, a former student of the St Joseph’s Academy in Antigua. In 2015, Brandon secured 22 CSEC subjects, with 21 grade ones and one grade two.

Eric however stressed that

he is just an average person, which should make students realize they too can do what he did.

His mother, Tricheal Febuary, who teaches business at the MVAA said she was proud of what her son had accomplished. “It is just a testimony that God could use ordinary people and do extra ordinary things with them.”

Tricheal added that students must be disciplined enough to work on their own and ahead of their teachers.

Meanwhile, Eric’s father and Math teacher, Desmond Febuary said he expected the results from his son.

“Both of us would have taught him, helped prepare him for exams in some of the subjects,” he said.

Both parents also described their son as a quiet student who was always ahead of his class.

In 2011, as a student of the Richland Park Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, Eric placed second overall in the Common Entrance Examinations. Unlike most top students, he chose to attend the MVAA for his secondary education instead of the St Vincent Grammar School (SVGS), the first choice for most boys who place in the top 100.

Eric told SEARCHLIGHT he wanted to attend an Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) institution because of his religion and the primary school he attended.

“I preferred the exposure to God,” he said.

The teen noted that he was satisfied with his CSEC examination results. “I did my best and I did excellent.”

When SEARCHLIGHT interviewed Eric five years ago, his aim then was to be a neurologist. Now, he aspires to become a pastor, but stated that he would also like to do some medical training while pursuing studies at the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad. He begins studies at that institution, leading to a double major in Theology and Biology, next month.

Eric had also brought to the MVAA, the first place trophy from the 2014 Lion’s Club South/Lime Secondary Schools Public Speaking Competition.

Besides public speaking, Eric’s hobbies include reading and travelling. “That was my preference in terms of recreation activities; also I took part in the talent parade that was put forward by the Caribbean Union of Seventh Day Adventists.”

The teen also disclosed that he has been on mission trips to Spanish speaking countries where he took part in religious crusades. It is his ambition to do his internship as a pastor in SVG, but he hasn’t yet given further thought to that aspect of his life.

A member of the Calder SDA church, Eric is also a member of the Pathfinder Club, but admitted that he is not interested in sports, because the time when he should have has already passed.

In 2014, another MVAA student Delight Ollivierre secured 14 CSEC subjects, with 13 grade ones and one grade two, propelling her to a joint first place nationally with Richard John, a student of the SVGS. (AS)