BEACON OF THE DAY (VIDEO) | Dshawan Dunwell Done Well In 14 CXC
September 19, 2022His surname, Dun-well, perhaps says it all.
Dshawan Dunwell, who lives on the outskirts of Spanish Town in St Catherine, is no ordinary 16-year-old.
He just completed fifth form at St Jago High School and, already, he has amassed a total of 14 subjects from the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
He did them at the CSEC and CAPE levels, and in the calendar years 2021 and 2022.
Putting the icing on the proverbial cake, Dshawan got the best grade possible (Grade One) in 12 of the 14 subjects.
“I am very happy with my performance; all that hard work paid off,” he told The Beacon.
SUBJECTS ATTAINED IN 2021:
- Mathematics (CSEC) – Grade One
- Chemistry (CSEC) – Grade One
- Principles of Accounts (CSEC) – Grade Two
SUBJECTS ATTAINED IN 2022:
- Additional Mathematics (CSEC) – Grade One
- Biology (CSEC) – Grade One
- English A (CSEC) – Grade One
- English B (CSEC) – Grade One
- Information Technology (CSEC) – Grade One
- Physics (CSEC) – Grade One
- Social Studies (CSEC) – Grade One
- Spanish (CSEC) – Grade One
- Applied Mathematics (CAPE, Unit I) – Grade One
- Chemistry (CAPE, Unit I) – Grade Two
- Integrated Mathematics (CAPE) – Grade One
“This [academic performance] has been my biggest achievement; it make my parents proud, etcetera,” Dshawan told The Beacon.
He has been an academic powerhouse long before he started St Jago High School.
He was the top performer at St Catherine Prep, from which he graduated with a 97 percent average in the then Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).
Dshawan, who is also a graduate of Gemglow’s Kindergarten, intends to enroll in the sixth form programme at St Jago High.
Among the factors that made his academic feat extra special is the time-frame within which he did it.
It was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed millions around the world and threw school systems into a tailspin.
In pushing back, a number of schools, including Dshawan’s, closed their doors and resorted to online learning.
That type of learning, Dshawan argued, was the most challenging aspect of preparation for his exams.
He attributed his success to his strong support system comprising parents, teachers and friends. And of course he eared the dividends of being disciplined, hard working and strategic in studying.
“My advice would be to study with breaks. I would study for an hour and have a 20-minute break every hour… This helps you to study for a long period of time,” he said.
He further told The Beacon: “Every single day I try to work on something because I think it would be easier for me. I didn’t just cram everything in a short period of time. I was working it out over a long period of time, and so it was easier for me to handle all these subjects. And by the time CXC came around, I felt prepared.”
Dshawan added that he watches a lot of educational YouTube videos and read textbooks that are “clear and decisive in their wording”.
His dream is to become a neurosurgeon – a medical doctor who diagnoses and treats conditions that affect the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve read a lot of Ben Carson’s books. He is also a neurosurgeon. Ever since I read those books, I’ve been fascinated with the world of neurosurgery. And I like the human body, and Biology is one of my favourite subjects. I think I would really love that profession,” the young scholar explained.
In his spare time, Dshawan enjoys playing basketball and video-games and socializing with friends.
Though he intends to study abroad, his plan is to eventually live and work in his native land.
His parents, Yvonne and Delroy Dunwell, said they are not surprised by their child’s latest academic feat.
“Dshawan has been doing extremely well from day one,” his mother said.
His father told The Beacon: “I am really elated based upon my son’s results. It’s really no surprise. From he was in pre-school, we saw that ability in him and we knew from then that he was going to do well.”
He further reasoned: “It is always said that it is 99 per cent of perspiration and one percent of the inspiration that will carry you through. So, work hard and make life easier later on. That’s what we did: have Dshawan work hard [academically] for him to have it easy later on.”
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