Failure is only the direct result of not applying hard work and choosing to maximize your potential, according to Queen's College senior Lakia Rolle.
The 17-year-old was recently awarded the Paul L. Adderley Award for the best Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) overall performance in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas in 2016; and the Carol Hanna Award for best overall performance for independent schools.
Rolle sat 12 senior national examinations as an 11th grade student. She earned 11 A grades and one C grade.
For her efforts, she also received a check, a laptop and a plaque.
"You should never give up," said Rolle. "Failure is not an option, and it only happens when you give up. You only fail when you don't try, so never give up. You have to realize that the sky is not the limit -- there are footprints on the moon," she said.
Rolle was announced as the top student of the national examinations at the 24th annual national awards presentation, held on Monday, February 13 at the William Johnson Auditorium, Church of God Convention Centre, Joe Farrington Road.
"I am so elated and overjoyed to know that all of my hard work has paid off," she said. "There has been a standard set at Queen's College where you can't help but to want to not only achieve what those that came before you have achieved, but supersede those accomplishments. I remember being as young as eighth grade, and I remember aspiring to wanting to be the top in the country. I wanted to defy the odds, so my sights were always set on being the top student," she said.
The QC student boasts a 3.75 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
With her national examinations squared away, she's focused on doing her best in the five AP courses she's enrolled in for her final year; they are psychology, human geography, English literature and composition, Spanish language and culture and calculus.
Rolle sat the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) last year and scored a 1,560. She wants to better that score this year.
"I want to better it, because I realize how competitive it is as it relates to scholarships and even being accepted into schools, and I really want to further my education."
The teen has her sights set on studying biology and international business.
"Growing up I never imagined myself doing anything else besides being a doctor. I like to serve people and feel that serving people through that means will give me the utmost joy. And as it relates to international business, I also love being a delegate for change, and using who I am to help my country, and I feel that being able to pursue that degree would afford me the opportunity to better my country," she said.
She has cast her net far and wide, applying to 10 colleges. She refused to fall victim to the problem of only applying to one or two schools and not getting into any.
"I decided early on that I wanted to keep my options open and made sure that all of the schools I applied to had a great science program, and a great business program, so that even if I decided to switch my major I would be able to transition into what would be comfortable for me," she said.
Rolle is also applying for scholarships wherever she can to ensure that she has the means to afford higher education. She credits her parents, Lionel and Marvia Rolle, for instilling excellence in education in her. When she thinks about all they've done for her, she said, she always gets emotional.
"I realize the sacrifices they've had to make to get me to where I am today. They have also instilled morals -- both Christian and civic in me that I know I will take throughout my life," said Rolle.
The academic achiever also manages to balance a heavy extracurricular activity schedule that has her involved in Junior Achievement; female empowerment club The Queen in Me; and the school's basketball and soccer teams. She is also president of the Christian Youth Movement at her church.
"I'm definitely heavily involved and busy, but for me it's all about balance, maximizing my potential and realizing that I'm only in high school for a little while, and I have to make an impact on not only myself, but the people around me."
Candis Petty, a graduate of C.R. Walker Senior School, who now attends the University of The Bahamas was the recipient of the Majorie Davis Award for best overall performance in the 2016 BGCSE examinations for government schools. She earned eight A grades, two B grades and two C grades.
Carmetta Barry, who last year was a student at H.O. Nash Junior School, was named the candidate with the overall best Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) results for government schools. She also received the best BJC results in The Bahamas for 2016. She received eight A grades and two B grades.
Bahamas Academy's Jodi Garcia was named the 2016 independent school candidate with the best BJC overall results. She earned eight A grades.
Luke Knowles, of Long Island's N.G.M. Major School, was the government school male candidate with overall best BJC results for 2016. He earned seven A grades and two B grades.
While individual honors were meted out at the award ceremony, a number of schools were recognized for excellent results in the BJC and BGCSE by their overall student body, including St. Augustine's College, Queen's College, H.O. Nash, Forest Heights Academy, C.H. Reeves and D.W. Davis.
As students were rewarded for excellence in national examinations, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Jerome Fitzgerald urged educators and students to remain focused to ensure that, at the end of the day, they give themselves the best opportunity to succeed.

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