JAMAICANS have consistently done well in their pursuit of higher education overseas, oftentimes outperforming their foreign counterparts.

Among them are the likes of Harvard scholar and consultant, Imani Duncan; Nottingham University alumnus, international management consultant, Ainsley Deer; and Harvard Law School graduate, financier and former politician, David Panton.

One promising aspirant to this long and illustrious list is Mario Keith Stoddart, son of Reverend Mervin and Lizette Stoddart, nee Ferrier, both of whom have their roots in western Jamaica.

While the brilliant youth, 18, who lives with his mother and two siblings in Indiana, USA, has not yet made the list based on the scope of his qualifications to date, he appears to be well on his way.

He is majoring in New Media at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), taking advantage of one of the more than 15 scholarships he was awarded out of high school earlier this year. He was not only the sole person of the 246-member graduating class to receive so many offers, he was also the only Jamaican there.

“I was the only Jamaican that I know of in my graduating class, (but) I have a Jamaican friend who graduated number one from Arlington in 2005,” the Arlington High valedictorian told the Sunday Observer.

The scholarship awards included the IUPUI Hoosier Scholar award; IUPUI Valedictorian scholarship; Lily Endowment Community Scholarship; Manchester College Deans Scholar Award; Purdue University (West Lafayette) Opportunity Award scholarship; Purdue University (West Lafayette) Indiana Residence Top Scholar award; and the Trustee Award DePauw University. The teen opted for those tenable at IUPUI, which, when taken together, will cover all tuition and fees for the next four years.

“I chose IUPUI for many reasons. I don’t really like travelling, and being away from home for very long periods of time. I don’t want to live on campus, and I don’t have a car yet. IUPUI is just downtown, so transportation isn’t too big an issue,” he said, explaining the reason behind his choice. “IUPUI also has a perfect variety of fields of study, and extra activities in which to take part. The campus is huge and has good laboratories, resources, professors, and recreational facilities. [In addition], the New Media programme at IUPUI has a curriculum that was unmatched in my searches of other universities and colleges. And finally, with the scholarships offered, IUPUI was made affordable.”

At Arlington, Stoddart was a top scholar in the college preparatory accelerated programme, coming out above the other 48 members of that specialty. He received an academic honours diploma and graduated as a senior member of the National Honours Society in May this year.

At graduation, the youth, who has ambitions of becoming a video game artist (designer, developer and tester), received awards for exemplifying good character traits and good sportsmanship. He also received a prize for perfect attendance throughout the entire four years of high school.

“I would also like to make money playing basketball sometime, if at all possible,” said Stoddart, who also snatched prizes for academic excellence in Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Geometry, Spanish, US History, Chemistry, and Physics.

Outside of school work, Mario was involved in the management of both his junior and senior tennis school teams. He was also a member of the student congress, and was the parliamentarian of the National Honor Society. Not to be left out is his involvement in Voice, a student organisation that spoke out against the sale and use of tobacco and its by-products.

Mario does acknowledge his raw natural talent, but attributes his continued success to God, hard work, and his Jamaican heritage.

“I consider myself a genius sometimes, [but mostly] I consider my success a blessing from God. I had to put in a lot of effort and time to get the results that I got, but it was much easier for me than it was for most people I know,” he told the Sunday Observer, adding that he believed his Jamaican heritage was intrinsically linked to the strong faith and hard work that his family members have always exemplified.

“This family, as long as I can remember, has always been high in achievement,” said Mario.

It is for this reason, he noted, that he never felt pressured to achieve. His brother Mervin Stoddart Jr who, unlike his younger siblings, was born in Jamaica, is also enrolled at IUPUI, where he, too, is specialising in New Media. Mervin Jr also graduated with top honours from Arlington High, where their sister Lorian is now a sophomore.

“I love challenges, and I like to play around with my opponents. Also, I simply do not accept any level below that of a B, unless I am certain that I gave all the effort I had to give, and maybe more,” the teen said. “While I am extremely grateful for the achievements thus far, I realise that they are preliminary prerequisites for things I hope to achieve in the future. I believe that they should be well celebrated, but I cannot become too content with them; I must build on them.”