Seventeen-year-old Aryan Doodnauth of Coffee Grove on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two is aspiring to become a chemical engineer with the intention of lifting his family out of poverty.
Doodnauth, who attended Anna Regina Secondary School, attained 17 subjects (14 Grade Ones including 9 distinctions and 3 Grade Twos) at this year’s sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
The young man, who has two other siblings, admitted that during his studies he faced many challenges not least of which were financial struggles since both of his parents are unemployed. In fact, he took to rearing livestock to offset some of the costs of his examination fees.
“My father has been unemployed for over a year due to circumstances out of his control so finances were also a major challenge since I had to take extra lessons for some of the off-timetable subjects.”
He also said that his grandparents were very supportive towards his studies also.
Another challenge for him, Doodnauth noted, was striking a balance between school and cricket. He has a passion for cricket and played for Reliance in their Under-19 cricket team. Most weekends, he said, were spent representing Essequibo in cricket while also finding the time to study for his examinations.
When asked why he opted to write 17 subjects, he responded that he was always a top performer in class from the nursery through to secondary levels, before adding that he had shared the number one spot with Ramoll Baboolall at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
Doodnauth is hoping to acquire a government scholarship so he can further his studies in chemical engineering. And with that he intends to continue make his parents proud.
“I do not come from a rich family. My father did not complete his secondary education due to poverty, but even that, both my mother and father ensured we received a quality education.”
Both Doodnauth’s parents, Kamrajh and Sabhana Doodnauth, are very proud of their son’s achievements at the examinations. However, they did expect that he would perform well at the examinations.
Doodnauth’s message to other students is to make their studies a priority and to remain focussed.
