Calabar High school’s Nathan Johnson scored all five ones in his CAPE Unit 2 examinations, just before heading off to Vassar College in New York. 

He adds these grades to his nine passes in CSEC, and five in CAPE Unit 1. Nathan Johnson scored ones in Caribbean Studies, Pure Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Nathan Johnson scored ones in Caribbean Studies, Pure Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Along with upholding his school’s motto, “Utmost for the highest”,  Johnson strongly believes that one must aim at forging their own path and to not focus on what everyone else’s is doing. This he embodies by his next school of choice being Vassar college, a liberal arts college. Along with focusing on his CAPE examinations, Johnson sat the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) examinations- an England based music exam- for which he passed his final piano examination.  Amazed by his results,

TeenAGE had a chat with Johnson to figure out just how he perfected his grades: 

TeenAGE: How did you prepare for your exams? 

Nathan: I was lucky to be around people who simultaneously pushed me to keep up with them and supported me to do my best. As is the case with most other grade 13 students, I had other responsibilities, such as acing the SATs and crossing all ‘Ts’ and dotting the ‘Is’ on my college applications. As such, I didn’t get to study as much as I did for exams in previous years. However, having a good circle of friends was probably the driving factor to my success in CAPE, because I forced myself to study whenever they were studying.

TeenAGE: Which grade surprised you the most and why? 

Nathan: Physics surprised me the most as it was always the subject that I knew the least in and I wasn’t particularly motivated to do well in it, in comparison to my other four subjects.  

TeenAGE: Who would you like to thank for supporting you so that you could attain these grades? 

Nathan: I would like to thank my family for the high standards they have set for me, along with their never ending support. I would like to thank all the teachers who put up with my complaints and my occasional sluggish learning style. A special thanks to my Chemistry and Pure Maths teachers, Mr. Delahaye and Mrs. Edwards, who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I never did Additional Mathematics in grade 11 as such Pure Mathematics proved to be a challenge for me but Mrs. Edwards somehow got me to enjoy learning about Mathematics and solving difficult problems. 

TeenAGE: Based on your experience, what advice would you give to TEENS who will be sitting exams next year? Nathan: Capitalize on your labs/SBAs/IAs, and surround yourself with people who do well and will encourage you to do the same. Start doing past papers as early as possible and don’t be too hard on yourself. If in the end you don’t get your desired grade, it is not the end of the world and a second chance is always out there somewhere. 

TeenAGE: What is the next step for you? 

Nathan: I will be pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Biochemistry at Vassar College. Off to his first school of choice,

TeenAGE wishes Nathan all the best on his journey. We hope to hear of even greater accomplishments as he makes his mark on the world! Congrats Nathan! 

–Akeelia Richards