The 16-year-old Queen's College student who achieved the top results in this year's Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations, and the most BGCSEs achieved at one time in the 30-year history of the exams, wants other young men to know that they can achieve great things once they have the drive to accomplish their goals.
Cherkadin Wells, who sat the exams in grade 11, achieved 14 As and 1 B during the 2023 BGCSE examinations.
Queen's College has had the top BGCSE student in nine of the last 10 years.
When Wells first learned about his results, he could barely contain his excitement.
"My first reaction when I heard my results was I had to call my mom because she was off the island at the time," he told The Nassau Guardian during a phone call yesterday.
"I called my mom and I let her know. We were both screaming. I was in school so I couldn't scream too loud, but I was screaming internally.
"I could hear my mom on the other side. It brought tears to my eyes to know that my mom was celebrating with me and she was happy and I had done what I set out to do.
"It was a long journey and it felt so rewarding. You could imagine it all the time as you're going down the journey, but you are never really prepared for when you are at the end and you finally see the results.
"I was really just overwhelmed with joy. I was so proud. All I was thinking about was how I was going down the path of studying and taking these exams; all I could think about was the end and being able to say that I had sat 15 examinations and seeing the results was so heartwarming."
Wells, who is deputy head boy in Queen's College's class of 2024, is no stranger to success in national exams.
Back in 2020, as an eighth grader, he was the top achiever in the Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) examinations with 12 As.
Wells' mother encouraged him to stay focussed, but to enjoy grade nine.
Heading into grade 10, he decided he wanted to aim higher than anybody had done before.
"At the beginning, I had to sit down and discuss it with my mom," Wells said.
"I had to let her know that this is what I wanted to do. I had to bring the idea forth and see if it was even possible to begin with. I had seen people take 13, but I knew I wanted to do a little bit more than that.
"I wanted to try to go the extra mile a little bit more than they did. So I came to my mom with the idea first, and then after that, I went about trying to secure extra classes for myself, so that I would be completely prepared.
"I knew that I was going to be spreading myself across every single subject evenly. So I tried to secure some extra classes for those ones that I did not do in school.
"After that, I had to get approval from all of my teachers to see if they thought that I would be able to succeed.
"I am grateful, eternally grateful to my teachers who believed in me, who put their signature next to my name, to sign me up for that exam."
"When one is doing so much that could be a great, there's also a risk that you end up spreading yourself too thinly. I have to thank my teachers so much for believing in me and spending those extra hours with me after school."
Wells got As in Mathematics, English literature, English language, Keyboarding, Office Procedures, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Combined Science, Graphical Communication, Craft, History, Spanish and Religion.
His only B was in music.
"On Easter break, I still had to go to classes, and Christmas break, midterm break, summer; I was still going through classes during these times," Wells said.
"I have to really thank my teachers again, because some of those teachers might have had summer plans, and they sacrificed some time with their family. Thankfully, they came to see me and I really have to say thank you for that."
Wells had one special advantage: his mother, Dr. Kadian Hanson-Wells, is a mathematics teacher at Queen's College.
The pair share a special bond, and the teenager recalls his mother giving him a hard time in the past for not taking advantage of having a math teacher at home.
However, he said when preparing for these 15 exams, he had math classes everywhere.
"My mother is my rock," Wells said.
"She is so impactful in all of my decisions. Even from the smallest things, I have to talk to my mom. She is always there. She's the one I speak to the most.
"My mom is like my best friend, honestly. But when it came to pitching the idea to her, she believed in me as well. I just had to sit down and she had to make sure that I knew what I was getting myself into.
"So when it came to studying and making sure that I have those extra hours, sometimes, I'm going to be honest, sometimes I didn't really want to sacrifice. My mom always reminded me that I had a goal and I wanted to reach an end, and so she kept me on course."
Cherkadin's mother expressed immense gratitude to the staff at Queen's College, especially teachers who gave up their personal time and spent many extra hours at school to assist her son.
"I was absolutely overwhelmed with joy and filled with gratitude," Dr. Hanson-Wells said.
"I was praising and worshipping God, I must be honest, because for me, I feel immensely blessed. God is good. Cherkadin had a village.
"While he did what he needed to do, and we as his parents did what we needed to do, there were so many others; his God parents, teachers, and the leaders of Queen's College, who no matter how small, made an impact into him being successful.
"I only teach math, and you had my colleagues who were there. I would be sitting in back of some of the classes at 7 p.m. We would still be on campus at 7 p.m.
"It doesn't matter whether it was even a Saturday or a Sunday. So while I am overwhelmed with joy, I am also filled with so much gratitude, because I know what I'm experiencing now as a parent, I could not have done this by myself.
"I did not do it by myself, and I am so honored and so blessed to have so many persons who poured into my son's life; and we are now reaping the rewards of the sacrifices that have been made."
The teenage top achiever is a proud member of the Mako Aquatics Swim Club. He's also part of his church band at Golden Gates Church.
He said both activities gave him outlets during an extremely rigorous academic year.
"Swimming was a big part of my life," he said.
"I did, regrettably, have to slow down on swimming just a little bit to make sure that I have time to study. I still made sure that I went to at least one practice a week, because it was like an outlet for me.
"It was a way for me to release some of the stress that built up after studying and staying inside so long. It was just a way for me to connect with my peers a little bit more - go to practice and work out as well as having a little bit of fun sharing some jokes with my coaches and my friends.
"I really do hope to continue my swimming career in college as well. It's something that I find intriguing, and that I am passionate about.
"Also, I'm a part of my church band which practices on Mondays and Fridays, and they play in the church on Sundays. Sometimes they even go abroad to play; and so I have to thank people at Golden Gates Church for giving me the opportunity to have another outlet, and giving me the opportunity to travel to some new countries.
"I also want to thank them for the prayers while I studied and as I took my exams.
"I also have to thank my grandparents, because sometimes my mother would be at work and she would not be able to take me in between classes.
"So my grandparents would have to come and pick me up, and my grandparents are working people, so I really have to thank them for taking a pause on what they were doing. Even at a moment's notice, sometimes to just take me in between those classes, they were a really big help."
Wells will pursue AP and honors classes this year, with the aim of securing college credits ahead of his move to university next year.
At the top of his list are the Ivy League schools, mainly Harvard and Princeton. He wants to pursue a degree in biochemistry first, with the ultimate goal of becoming a neurosurgeon or cardiovascular surgeon.
Queen's College Vice Principal and Head of High School Shawn Turnquest said Wells' success is consistent with the school's culture of excellence.
"Over the years, we have been able to develop a culture of excellence here at Queens College," Turnquest said.
"What we realize has happened is that the excellence over the years has lit a fire in almost every child coming through our school system.
"So Cherkadin will tell you that he sat as a student in grades seven and eight and saw other students who were honored at the Ministry of Education for excellence at the BJC and the BGCSE level, and he was inspired.
"We have other students along the way that said, 'you know, Mrs. Turnquest, when I saw how well they did, I said to myself, that I could do it too'.
"And without us doing very much other than showcasing students that had attained a level of excellence, we realized that we were cultivating a culture of excellence where students want to do well. And what you heard this morning was that Cherkadin was self motivated.
"He decided, not Queens College. He decided that he wanted to do 15 subjects. He sought his mother's support and she said, if this is what you want to do, I will support you.
"I did not know he had signed up for 15 until well after he had signed up, and that is the case for a number of our students. So these students have seen the fruits of doing well.
"Some of them themselves have tasted success, and there's nothing like success to breed success. So over the years as we celebrated excellence, as we celebrated improvement in our students, as we have celebrated effort, and enthusiasm, it became part of who we are and what we do."
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