Beacon of the day | University Beckons For St Mary Native Who Topped Caribbean In Chemistry

Beacon of the day | University Beckons For St Mary Native Who Topped Caribbean In Chemistry

October 20, 2021 0 By Jamaica Beacon

Anika Kelly is no academic walkover, and she has proven it time and time again.

She is expected to build on that track record in Cuba, where she will study medicine at the University of Havana.

The aspiring orthopedic surgeon, who hails from the Islington area of St. Mary, is the holder of 19 subjects from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC). Nine of those subjects are at the CSEC level, and 10 are CAPE.

Putting the icing on the proverbial cake, Kelly got the best grade possible (Grade One) in 13 of the 19 subjects.

She also placed first in the entire Caribbean in CAPE Chemistry (Unit One) last year.

“To know that I have been working so hard for so long and I am being rewarded with success is profoundly amazing,” she told The Beacon.

The 19-year-old attributed her achievements to persistence and consistency. “I know what I want and what I have to do, and so I have to maintain the discipline to do it,” she noted.

Her academic feats are so outstanding, they have earned her a spot at the prestigious and highly competitive Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

However, Kelly opted to study in Cuba where the fees are far less expensive, she indicated.

She is an alumna of Westwood High in Trelawny where she was a class monitor and also vice captain of the Schools’ Challenge Quiz team. She also attended Nutfield Basic School and Hillside Primary in St. Mary.

Kelly’s parents, Yvette Hamil and Rudolph Kelly, are ecstatic about their daughter’s accomplishments, but they aren’t surprised, considering that she always has been a force to reckon with in academics.


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