Kingsway Academy graduating senior, Danya Dean, is ending her high school career on a high note -- acceptance into The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). The society recognizes top scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership scholarship, and community commitment. NSHSS founder and chairman Claes Nobel, a senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes made the announcement.
"I am honored to recognize the hard work, sacrifice and commitment that Danya has demonstrated to achieve this exceptional level of academic excellence," said Nobel. "Danya is now a member of a unique community of scholars -- a community that represents our very best hope for the future."
"I was excited to be accepted," said Dean, 17. " I'm actually a part of my school's honors society [Alpha Kappa Tau] so it made me feel even better to be accepted into the National Society of High School Scholars because it's a global field and not just competing against my schoolmates."
NSHSS President James W. Lewis said the vision behind NSHSS is to build a dynamic international organization that connects members with meaningful content, resources and opportunities. "We aim to help students like Danya build on their academic successes and enhance the skills and desires to have a positive impact on the global community," he said.
Membership in NSHSS entitles qualified students to enjoy a variety of benefits, including scholarship opportunities, academic competitions, free events, member-only resources, publications, participation in programs offered by educational partners, personalized recognition items and publicity honors.
Danya, a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) student, has made the honor roll at Kingsway Academy for the six years she has been at the school, as she says getting an education is important to her.
"You have to have an education because you won't get anywhere in life without having some form of education, so it's important to get the education you need to move along in life," said the daughter of Dennis and Barbara Dean. She said in her house getting an education has always been stressed.
"Besides God, education was always second. Whenever I would come home from school my mom would always ask, 'Do you have any homework? Do you have any studying?' And I would be like 'no'. She would be like, 'you're going to study'. It was always important."
With aspirations of becoming a medical chemist with a background study in forensics, she knows she has a lot of studying ahead of her during her university years.
She has been accepted into Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada and Taylor University in Indiana, and is leaning towards continuing her post-secondary education at the Canadian college. Her final decision she said would lie in what scholarship monies she's able to get. She has applied to the Lyford Cay Foundation as well as the Ministry of Education for scholarship assistance. She's also applied for financial aid to the universities.
As for her choice of course of study, while she says the sciences, especially chemistry is her favorite, and that she was influenced in her future course of study by the fact that a number of her family members have been diagnosed with leukemia, breast cancer as well as lupus and diabetes.
"With medical chemistry it's a career path that I can go on to aid in research and find cures and test substances to find ways to help better the lives of those people who are suffering from these diseases. And forensic science, because I've always loved working in the lab and I see it as a way I can help the community and help the law to put away those who are criminals," she said. "I would love to be both honestly, but my real passion is actually working in the lab in research, so a medical chemist is what I would really like to be with a background study in forensics."
Ironically she is the first to admit that she is surprised herself that her least favorite subject is math, when the sciences and math usually go hand-in-hand.
"When I'm in math class I'm like I dread this subject. Why am I learning this? But in chemistry, biology and physics it just comes so much easier to me because I'm learning what I want to learn. But Math, eww!" she said.
As she prepares to wind up her final weeks in high school, she will retake her Bahamas General Certificates of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams in math and English. Last year she had written eight exams, math, English, biology, chemistry, physics, Combined Science, food and nutrition and Spanish, and came out with one B and seven C grades. And she's scored in the 1400s on her Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
She is also mere days off sitting three Advanced Placement (AP) exams in math, English and chemistry.
Danya is also proud of the fact that she's a well-rounded individual who is also into a variety of extracurricular activities, even though education is at the forefront. She played volleyball, soccer and softball, and ran track. She did not like basketball. She's also involved in dance and performs in the Emanji Circus Arts.
"My study habits would shock people," said Danya. "I leave from school and go straight to dance practice, and if I'm not at dance or circus, I'm out on the field or on the court playing a sport. After all that I do homework and study and I get to that around 8-9 p.m." She said she tries to put in two hours doing homework before she puts in four hours studying. This means she gets to bed late, which she said she's accustomed to, as it's something she's been doing for many years.
But she said there is one thing that every student must remember, and that it's "prayer plus hard work equals success. It's very important to put God first in everything that you do. Without him, nothing is possible."

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian