Michele Hodgkinson gives her daughter Kaylee a huge hug.
“I am just shocked. I did not expect to be number two in the island it is just amazing!”
This is how St. Winifred’s student Kaylee Hodgkinson reacted on hearing her results from the Barbados Common Entrance Examination.
Hodgkinson, who is headed to Harrison College in September, will be reunited with old friends, and it was for this reason she wanted to attend the Crumpton Street institution.
Nothing in life comes easy and the youngster said: “I had put in extra lessons all until 5:30 in the evening and a bunch of studying until 11 in the night which was really hard.”
Additionally, she said she had to sacrifice her favourite sport, lawn tennis, and she that she was glad she did that because her hard work paid off.
“I was also involved in ballet and jazz but I did not sacrifice those two,” Kaylee said.
The advice she has for the other Class 4 students would be to make all those necessary sacrifices and to see the hard work pay off.
For Kaylee’s mother, Michele Hodgkinson, her daughter’s success brought tears.
“I am overcome with emotion today. I always knew she was very capable of it but to say that I expected 100 per cent I would be lying, but I am just completely over the moon with it. Kaylee has always been very focussed, she has always aimed to be number one in class and she is determined to do of her best,” said Michele.
Additionally Michele said that aiming for Harrison College was an early decision for Kaylee and she fought to get there.
“There were not any challenges with her whatsoever; she has always been in the top three at school. This year in J4 she actually struggled a little bit with Math and getting confused with certain subjects but she fought through it with extra lessons… She is one determined little girl,” she added.
Earlier, on receiving the news of Kaylee’s success, Michele said that she was at work and broke down and started crying which lead everyone to think she was getting bad news. They however realised that they were tears of joy.
Michele said that she then rushed out of the office and went to get her daughter at the Pine Hill, St. Michael school. (MR)