There
is a school of philosophy which advocates that adversity must be
turned into strength if the world is to overcome the enormous and
persistent problems it faces, and a student of President’s
College has irrefutably demonstrated this with her remarkable
performance at the Caribbean School Education Certificate
examinations this year.
Kumarie
Khooseram, with eleven Grade Ones, has done what many others in
her circumstances would not have achieved. Rather they would have
slipped into a pathetic state and hope for sympathy.
However,
Kumarie took the road of turning adversity into strength and
emerged as a champion scholar.
Many
would have forgotten in the face of escalating criminal activities
in Guyana, in particular on the East Coast Demerara, that Police
Detective Harry Khooseram, on his way to work on September 15,
2002, was gunned down by ruthless criminals for no apparent
reason, leaving behind a wife and children in grief, unbearable
agony and tears.
He
was among the nearly two dozen lawmen whose lives were snuffed out
at the hands of criminals during that period.
Against
such a background, Kumarie stuck to her studies, despite the loss
of her father whom she loved so much.
In
an interview with the Chronicle, a smiling and pleasant Kumarie
said: “Since he died I worked harder. I wanted to make him proud
and would have really been happy if he were around to be part of
my achievement. He was an excellent father and was always
supportive and disciplined.”
How
did Kumarie react to her results? “I was shocked because even
though I worked hard, I did not expect to do so well, because I
was not sure about how the papers would have been marked.”
But
what was responsible for her success? She believes, as a Hindu,
that prayer played a significant part, along with her dedication
to her books.
However,
she has acknowledged the support of her teachers and family
members, noting that her mother, who works as a bookeeper at the
La Bonne Intention Sugar Estate, fasted throughout the month she
wrote her examinations.
Kumarie
also acknowledged the camaraderie among her colleagues approaching
examinations, with everyone assisting each other in their studies.
Her
ambition is to become a cardiologist after completing her Advanced
Level and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), at
which she intends to pursue her favourite subjects--- Chemistry,
Biology, Physics and Mathematics.
Asked
why she would like to pursue the medical field, she replied
promptly: “I want to help save lives.”
Kumarie
who had hoped to go to Queen’s College, noted that her
experience at President’s College has been tremendous and she
has no regrets going there. Her advice to her peers : keep God in
mind, listen to your parents and study hard.
