Gregory’s at top of the class

Academic excellence is no stranger to Gregory Tuayev-Deane. In 2009, he won a US Embassy/CXC National Award for most Outstanding Performance in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations,{{more}} having achieved 11 grade 1 and one grade 2 passes while he was a student at the St. Vincent Grammar School.

So it comes as no surprise that two years later, Gregory is this country’s top performer at the SVG Community College in the advanced proficiency examinations.

The 17-year-old gained a grade I pass in Math Unit 1 and also in Math Unit 2(CAPE); grade A*s in Cambridge A’Level Physics, Chemistry and Biology; and grade B in A’Level General Paper.

The A* grade, which was introduced by the United Kingdom examining bodies in 2010, means that the student has achieved a mark of 90% or more in the subject examined.

A regular grade A means that the student has achieved a minimum mark of 70%.

Speaking to SEACHLIGHT, Gregory admitted that he was not expecting to do this well in his examinations – especially for Math.

“I have to thank God and my family for their support,” he said.

“I just tried to keep studying throughout my time at college so that it would be easier for me at the end,” he explained.

“Although the time crept up really quickly, I did get to prepare adequately.”

Gregory, who lives at Akers, said that in preparation for his exams, he had to sacrifice a lot of his free time and sleep when studying.

But as his results show, it was very much worth it. He also said that in the actual exams, he was not nervous at all.

“I studied and felt I prepared thoroughly; except for the Math long paper, because it was on the same day with chemistry long paper, and general paper,” he recalled.

“For the Math exam, I almost felt like giving up because it was the last exam of that day, and I was tired. But I endured to the end!”

Gregory, son of Jannis Deane and Georgy Tuayev, said that he does not plan to attend university immediately.

He will be taking a year off “to take a break and contemplate which profession I want to pursue”.

He also said that he has an interest in renewable energy engineering, but is also considering other career options.

In his spare time, Gregory does construction work around the family house, plays football, and enjoys travelling.

Over the summer, he travelled to Jamaica to visit friends, and is currently on holiday in the United States.

And his advice to next year’s hopefuls?

“Prepare yourself to start working hard from the beginning to the end. Do not get distracted!”