With news reports fraught with the missteps by Bahamian young men on an almost daily basis, it's always a breath of fresh air when young men excel -- and Pedro Marcello, 15, is one of those young men who is showing that all is not lost with the nation's youth.
Pedro, who had the best overall performance by a male in the 2014 Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) examinations by male government school students; and who had the best result by island and the best result in mathematics, holds his head high knowing that he's excelling. And he's looking forward to even better results in his future.

According to him, a good education is the "road that can lead to many bright possibilities."

"I believe a good education can take you many places, but education without manners gets you nowhere," he said.

The 15-year-old 10th grade student at NGM Major High School in Long Island recorded 7 "A" grades and one "B" grade in the junior national exams.

"I felt privileged and honored to receive the awards," said Pedro. "There were a lot of children taking those examinations and it made me feel very good that I did well in the examinations. Going into the exams I felt pretty good, but when I got the results I felt relieved that I did my parents, Pedro [an electric company employee] and Lynn [an English teacher at NGM Major] Marcello, and my school proud," he said.

For Pedro, excellence in academics and everything he does has been drilled into him from a very young age by his parents.

"My parents have drilled into me from a very young age that without education you will get nowhere, and they have put a lot of time and effort into studying with me and I am sure they were happy to see it pay off in the examination results."

Taking his academics seriously means that Pedro has been an honor roll student since his early years at Mangrove Bush Primary. His current cumulative grade point average (GPA) is 3.64. His usual study habits entail taking an hour break after getting home to unwind before he seeks the solitude of his room to go over his notes.

"Like Rebecca Henderson from Queen's College said, you have to approach every assignment you get like it's your final exam -- like that's what's going to define your term," he said. Rebecca who walked away with the most prestigious awards that a high school student can earn -- the best overall performance in the nation in the 2014 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations with 10 "A" grades and one "B" grade and who also had the best result of all students in the Independent Schools and the best results of all students on New Providence had said that success is not gained by cramming for an examination, but was rather a long process that took time, dedication and most importantly, interest.

Rebecca, who sat 11 subjects as an 11th grade student received 10 "A" grades and one "B" grade.

Pedro also says his favorite subjects are accounts and math, and that English is not one of his personal favorites. He is also a student who has managed to happily balance his academics with extracurricular pursuits and is active in softball, baseball, track and field, volleyball, and a member of the Local Government Junior Council -- a role he takes seriously as it entails him speaking to his peers and trying to make an impact in his school and community. It's a role he's had for the past few months, but which he likes for the ability it gives him to be able to influence others around him.

The 10th grade student also likes the fact that by doing well he could be a role model for his peers to look up to.

"It makes me feel like a leader and like I have something to prove to them. I have to maintain a certain standard to have them look up to me. I don't want to let them down," he said.

Pedro's advice to his peers who may not be doing well is to not get discouraged. He says he would encourage them to work harder.

"It's a tough road, but the rewards are great," he said.

As he looks to his future, Pedro says he envisions one in the arena of finance or business, but that ideally he would like to play baseball professionally. He said from what his coaches tell him he's pretty good. For now, he's focused on his next three-year course of study towards sitting the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations in commerce, accounts, Spanish, graphical communications, biology, English and math; improving his GPA and continuing his work with junior local government council.

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