DESPITE the anxiety that overcame her in March when her school closed its doors and moved lessons online due to the threat of COVID-19, Brianna Elliot was determined to ace her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams. Whenever she felt overwhelmed, she would envision 10 grade ones listed under her name, and that would be enough motivation to continue studying.

Today, it is no longer a vision, as the Immaculate Conception High School student has obtained distinctions in the 10 CSEC subjects she sat this year.

“When we left school that day in March, nobody knew when we would return,” a relieved Elliot related to the Observer after seeing her grades. “Most of the SBAs [School-Based Assessments] and stuff that we were doing at the time weren’t finished, so in the back of my mind I was worrying about how I was going to get all of this done. But I looked forward to seeing 10 [grade] ones… that’s what kept me going.”

Though it was no walk in the park to ace mathematics, economics, history, English literature, English language, principles of accounts, information technology, French, or biology exams, Elliot was mostly worried about how she would perform in additional mathematics.

“I started that subject just last year in October, even though it is supposed to be a two-year learning programme,” she explained. “It took a lot of work, because along with classes, I also had to go to an extra class to learn the rest of the curriculum. I had 10 months to learn two years’ material and I also had nine other subjects to prepare for. It was really hard. At one point I started to fail, but I picked myself up and I got it done.”

While she did create a study timetable, the 16-year-old admitted that she didn’t use it as she just studied what she felt like studying at any given time. Her mother, Nicole Broadbelt, was not worried about this random study method, as she knew that her daughter was disciplined enough to follow though.

“First of all, she sets her own goals,” the beaming mother shared. “Whether she is participating in athletics or academics, she always has her own goals, and she knows what she wants.”

Broadbelt said that while there are times when Brianna would slack off a bit, it was never hard to get her back on track.

“I think she is naturally bright, so though there are times when she might feel overwhelmed and you will see grades that she is not used to, that’s where I come in and push her because I know that if Brianna has an exam and she puts out a hundred per cent, then she will get a hundred per cent. So we work together,” the proud mother said.

In addition to the expected emotional toll of preparing for exams during a pandemic and all the changes that came with it, Brianna’s parents also had to consider the financial costs. Her father Gregory Elliot shared that he became apprehensive when the students were told that the CSEC exam format would change.

“We were very concerned because of the challenges they were having because of COVID-19,” he recounted. “For example, knowing that the format of the exams had changed from summaries and essays to just multiple choice. We all know that sometimes not everybody does well at multiple choice, so that was a concern for me. There were so many changes for them that we all felt that anything could happen.”

He maintained that the support was crucial for his daughter, which she got from family and friends.

“Weekends were dedicated to dropping her either to extra lessons or group study sessions with her friends,” he shared. “It was a closely knit bunch of friends, and all their parents were also very supportive, and they all did very well. I think a lot of it had to do with the team effort. Sometimes when she had classes we had to drive miles to drop her off and pick her back up late on Sunday, so it’s very rewarding to know that she got such excellent results.”

Elliott, who is a sales representative with Derrimon Trading Company, said it is his dream for his daughter to achieve more than he has, and he only requires that she tries her best in whatever field she chooses to pursue.

“My personal hope for her is that whatever it is that she decides to do, that she excels in it,” he said happily. “I know she has the capabilities, and at times, based on challenges or mindset, things might change, so whatever that is she decides on, we will just continue to encourage her so that she can do her best.”

Brianna, now enrolled in sixth form at Immaculate, has her eyes set on a career in law and politics.

“Since I was nine years old I always wanted to be a lawyer, and I also like politics,” she said. “So I’m planning to study political science and law.”