Mikell Butler has dreams. She wants to become an oncologist and is taking steps to ensure that her dreams come true in her first year studying bio-chemistry at The College of the Bahamas (COB), with plans to move on to study medicine at the University of the West Indies in August. She has the money needed for her studies, with an $80,000 government scholarship to be disbursed over four years at the college of her choice.
With lofty goals, the 18-year-old says knowing her limits and realizing when it is time to step back and stop worrying is a lesson she has learned, and will put into practice as she continues on the second phase of her academic life. The 2011 C.V. Bethel High School graduate says stressing over grades is not the way to go if one wants to succeed academically. There are people who would disagree with her, after all, she graduated high school with a 3.67 grade point average. She also had the best Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) results, seven A grades in Math, History, Combined Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Language, and two B grades for Spanish and Literature. She was also her school's valedictorian.
With all of her accomplishments, people would think she always had her head in her books and studied non-stop to accomplish what she did but she says quite to the contrary.
"When it comes to studying and preparing for exams you have to understand that they are only tests. They may greatly assist you later in life, but they don't determine who you are or what you can do. Success comes in many ways and it is easy to fall short of your full potential by overtaxing yourself and not just living," says Butler.
She believes that many academically gifted young people are too competitive and absorbed in their own worlds so much so that they let life pass them by, and don't take time to see that there are others out there that could use a hand.
Besides obtaining her medical degree, she wants to create a program for high school students that would not only provide tutoring services for people that need it, but also incorporate professional people mentoring students.
"To me, the true test of one's mastery of a subject is when he can teach what he knows to his peers. This is why I really want to create a program where students help students, but they are also introduced to the 'real world' by having mentors in the fields they want to get into. It would do some good to really get a good idea about the field of work you want to get into and really understand if you like it before you spend years in school studying it. I want to do something that can really positively impact students because so many of us are disserviced and have no real path to follow once we finish school."
The over achiever says her desire to work with high school students arose from her own experiences and desires that things could have been different for her during her high school years. While she was able to assist other students and get help as well, she says it was in a very limited way. When it came time to decide on a career path, she had already chosen medicine, but says there was nothing in place for her to be mentored by professionals in the field, so that she could know specifically which specialization she was interested in. This is something that she hopes will not have to happen to future students.
"I know there is a guidance counselling department in most schools, but I do not feel they often do enough to prepare students for their future. They do a great job bringing in persons from the community from different careers of course, but this is also very limited and not all careers of interest are represented. Many times students enjoy what they see but there is no way to keep in contact with these guest speakers, which is frustrating to students. Furthermore, finding a job after spending years in school is hard sometimes and it helps if you already know someone in the field and they can guide you. So I am really looking forward to getting this program off the ground in another year or two."
In the meantime, Butler encourages students to work with what they have and work hard to make their own way in the professional world. She says finding support wherever you can is just as important. For her it was her family, community and friends that were the driving force behind her success to date.
"While tutoring and mentoring are important, other elements like familial support and community involvement are also important to a student's success. My reasons for pushing the mentoring program is because so many students don't have the home support, drive or means to explore the field of work they wish to enter themselves. Because of this they need a push. But even so I think the best push of it all is when the family and community is involved."
The student said her parents, Michael and Gayle Butler, ensured they were there for her for, whether she was receiving a certificate or a trophy. She said they made sure they never missed anything that she was honored at.
She also encourages parents to be more active in their children's academic life because she believes the best tutor of all is found at home. In primary school and junior school she remembers her mom really pushing her and helping with her school work. By the time Mikell got to high school she was responsible for her studies, but she said she had the right foundation to excel on her own. She recognizes that no matter how many outside tutors she had, if she didn't have support at home she may not have achieved as she did academically.
"Although I am sure my mentoring program will be successful in many ways it will not be as useful if students don't have a foundation to build on. They can have lofty dreams but if there is no work ethic or people who are proud of them, many students tend not to care. This is why I believe the best tutors or mentors are first and foremost a student's parents and community. If they have support in the places closest to them they can use the support they find elsewhere like at school a lot better."
The COB student said it is also important for students to be proactive and discover their strengths and weaknesses early in their academic careers. This way she said they know what they are good at and what they need help with. She said they will also be able to find methods that work for them when it comes to studying. She added that students need to realize that what works for one person may not work for another, and that they should not keep trying to compare themselves to other people. Not being realistic about their abilities, and burning themselves out due to stress, she believes causes many capable students to fall short academically.
If she was able to speak to her peers, she said she would advise them to pace themselves and stop worrying about achieving perfection. For students on the other side of the spectrum, who just don't believe in themselves academically, she advised them to challenge themselves and seek the help they need to succeed.
"It's all about knowing yourself. I don't think many students are conscious of their actual capabilities. Some overshoot and others underestimate. I think spending time calculating what you will need to do per class, and how much time you have to give to each subject realistically in order to succeed, is something students need to do. It's better to succeed at the eight subjects you know you can do well in and have the time to study, for than to push for 10 subjects knowing that you need more time to prepare for them than you have, and as a result do a mediocre job across the board. On the other hand, some students don't test themselves and will settle for the bare minimum. These students need a challenge and should push themselves a bit harder. But like I said you have to know what you can do and work accordingly."
Even when succeeding academically and being on the right course for future success, the young lady said it is also important for students to be involved in their communities and do things just because they want to. She said finding a balance in life with academics and extracurricular activities are key in a person's holistic success.
"As a person your life will not always be about studying, so you have to get used to interacting and networking with other people. You cannot be a completely balanced or well-rounded person if academics are the only things you care about."
During high school, Mikell was involved in numerous activities, from science clubs to the Governor General Youth Award program and Junior Achievers. She said she had a lot of things she needed to study, but always made to time for life.
As she begins her journey to make her dream of becoming a doctor reality, Mikell advised her peers to continue to work hard, but to not over-stress themselves about examinations, and to always make time for fun activities, if not just for their college resumes then at least for themselves. Doing well she said is always a plus, but taking the time to appreciate life and make lifelong friends along the way is invaluable.

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