SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland – IT came as no surprise that 17-year-old Nile Anderson was the toast of the Manning’s School prize giving ceremony, held on the grounds of the 276-year-old institution, last week.

After all, the unassuming lower sixth form student was the school’s top performer during the 2014 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, having earned 13 distinctions and three credits for the 16 CSEC subjects he sat.

His performance also made him the Most Outstanding Candidate in the Sciences throughout the Caribbean for that year.

The subjects he aced were Additional Mathematics, Agricultural Science (SA), Biology, Chemistry, English A, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Office Administration, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Spanish, and Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Economics, English B, and Geography.

Overall Nile has 19 subjects, having sat three while he was in second and third forms, earning two grade ones and a grade two.

“I had two ones and one two from before second and third form. Overall I have 19 subjects, 15 ones and four twos,” the talented, young scholar told the Jamaica Observer West.

The hard working student, whose ambition is to either be a medical doctor or a bio-medical engineer, said that “each of these subjects are going to contribute to what I do in the future”.

“Right now, with the career that I am choosing, every subject that I choose will contribute to my basic knowledge of those subjects. So like I did business subjects, of course I am going to have to run a business at some point in my life; I do science subjects because the sciences are essential if I go on to do engineering or medicine; art subjects, because those disciplines can be helpful in the working world,” he reasoned.

But, despite being a high achiever, Nile admitted that the first steps in his academic journey were sluggish, and he only mastered the discipline of reading while he was a grade two student at the Savanna-la-Mar Primary School, in Westmoreland.

“I was a slow student at first, I did not learn to read perfectly until… not even perfectly… I didn’t learn to read until grade two properly. I had problems with those basic skills. Among other teachers, my grade two teacher took me under her wing and that’s when I started to develop. And from then on I kept on working,” he said.

Among the factors he has attributed to his academic success, is his will of steel to achieve mastery of the concepts of the subjects he studied.

“The point is it is not that I study excessively, but I study smartly. I don’t give up on trying to understand something; I try my best to understand it no matter what. I make sure that I get something perfect before I move on. I don’t give up easily, I keep on going, I keep on trying. No matter how hard it may seem I keep going, and basically that’s my mantra,” Nile said.

Meanwhile, one of the proudest individuals at last week’s prize-giving ceremony, where over 300 students were recognised, was Acting Principal of Manning’s School Megan Berry, who is also Nile’s mother.

“I am indeed proud of him, but I am also proud of all the other students that we have. To be honest I have great expectations where academia is concerned, therefore I have not taken time out to think as to whether or not he [Nile] would achieve. To me it’s just something natural,” Berry argued.

She underscored her admiration for her son’s altruistic quality, which she said might be one of the factors responsible for his academic success.

“Nile is a very selfless individual who, his teachers will tell you, will go beyond the call of duty to assist other students, sometimes to his own detriment. His assignments [aren’t] turned in on time as long as he takes time out to teach another child a concept. So I really admire him for that,” the proud mother said.

“A very caring individual, selfless! I don’t know… maybe that is what has contributed to his success. He doesn’t keep to himself what he has learnt. He is always willing to share with others.”

Meanwhile, Nile who hailed his mother for her support, also stressed the motivation he gets from his friend Georgeno Whyte, an upper-sixth form student, who is the captain of the Manning’s School’s Schools’ Challenge team.

Despite the appearance of him being a bookworm, Nile still finds time for extra-curricular activities at his school and the Savanna-la-Mar Wesleyan Methodist Church.

The student, who was a member of his school’s Math Olympic team, is also a member of school’s Chess Club, Spanish Club and Schools’ Challenge team.