Beacon of the day | St James Youth With 24 CXC Subjects Earns Full Scholarship
October 24, 2021
Adrian Rhoden and his mother Claudia Jarrett
Adrian Rhoden has continued to live up to the billing as an academic genius.
He completed sixth form at Cornwall College this year with a total 24 subjects from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
He achieved the highest grade possible (Grade One) in 22 of those subjects.
The native of Flower Hill in St. James who was raised by a single mother since his father Oscar Rhoden died four years ago is ecstatic.
“I am more than satisfied,” he told The Beacon. “In fact, I have genuinely impressed myself.”
Of the 24 subjects that the aspiring medical doctor attained, 13 are at the CSEC level and the remaining 11 are at the CAPE level.
The last set of CAPE subjects he did comprised Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Pure Mathematics, Integrated Mathematics, and Caribbean Studies.
The academic feat earned Adrian a place in the prestigious Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies (UWI).
However, the relatively high fees at UWI have forced him to leave his native Jamaica and to take up a full scholarship in the United States.
“I don’t have the money to cover that tuition [at UWI] and I’m not sure if I would get a scholarship to cover it, so I made use of the opportunity that presented itself,” he said.
“I still have my eyes set on becoming a medical doctor. I feel like the odds are stacked against me when it comes to that goal, but I’m not gonna budge, considering the effort I put in.”
Adrian is now attending Alabama A&M University, where he will spend four years majoring in Biology.
“To do medicine in the United States, you first have to major in Biology, then you move on to do Medicine,” he noted, while underscoring the importance of the scholarship.
“It covers full tuition, boarding, insurance, 21 meals per week, and I also got a $1,000 to spend at the school’s books store… Without it, I know that I would not be in a good place right now. Other universities reached out to me, but to only cover some costs,” Adrian said.
He expressed gratitude to the people who have helped him over the years, including those who directed him to the scholarship.
In the meantime, Adrian has had a long record of stellar performance in academics and leadership.
In 2014 when he was 12 years old, he won the Butterkist National Primary Schools’ Mathematics Compe
He was salutatorian when he graduated fifth form at Cornwall College in 2019. He was also valedictorian when he left New Concept Kindergarten, and again valedictorian at Chetwood Memorial Primary School.
Adrian served as students’ council vice president and prefect at Cornwall College, and as Head Boy at Chetwood Memorial Primary.
His mother, Claudia Jarrett, is basking in his success.
“I’m prouder of him more than he is of himself,” she commented. “Words aren’t enough to describe how I feel about his performances. Even though he has been through a lot of stuff – sabotage, cheated out – he holds his head up and continues on the path of academic success.”
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