Abigayle Mcgrowder Hurdles Financial Obstacles to Ace Exams

Nothing could stop former St. James High School student Abigayle McGrowder from acing her external examinations this year.

Not even the financial constraints that made it difficult for her parents to afford to purchase a new pair of shoes for her to wear to school.

With her mother laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic and her stepfather’s salary slashed, it was a tough time for Abigayle and her three younger siblings.

While others would buckle under the challenges, Abigayle used them as an inspiration to work harder, going to school early and leaving late every day and doing extra classes on the weekends.

The 16-year-old’s diligence and dedication paid off, as she copped 10 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, with distinctions in Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Chemistry, Physics and Human and Social Biology and credits in English Literature and Information Technology.

She also earned distinctions in Mathematics and English Language in the City and Guild examinations.

The Farm Heights resident has more than earned the right to celebrate her accomplishments, given the financial challenges she had to contend with while studying.

Abigayle notes that while five of her 10 CSEC subjects along with her City and Guilds subjects were paid for by the Government, it was still a challenge for her parents to foot the bill for the remaining subjects.

She says that sometimes her parents could only afford to give her the bus fare for school. “I couldn’t afford to miss a day because I was doing so many subjects that if I missed one day, I have to be struggling to catch back up with everyone,” she tells JIS News.

Abigayle also laments not having a good pair of shoes to wear to school at that time.

“The one I had was from grade nine, and with the pandemic and everything, we weren’t at school that much in grade 10, so it kind of got old. So, I had to wear those shoes back to school in the last part of grade 10 and throughout the first and second term of grade 11,” she says, noting that she was finally able to get a new pair in the final term at St. James High.

Abigayle believes that excelling in school will bring her success in life and enable her to take care of her parents.

Her mom, Janique Finlayson tells JIS News that leading up to the exams, she was concerned that her daughter was overworked.

“Sometimes she would study some past papers and fall asleep and leave the laptop watching her, and then I would have to go and turn it off. Even when she was not feeling well, she would have to get up from seven to go to school and come back at 5:30 p.m.,” she says.

She tells JIS News that she is delighted with her daughter’s CSEC results.

She notes that, initially, Abigayle was nervous to open the portal to see her grades, but “from the moment I heard other parents screaming and shouting I decided that I have to know what is going on, and I checked her [results] and I was screaming long before her and calling everybody to tell them that she aced them all”.

Abigayle’s doting stepfather, Kavene Graham, tells JIS News that he was not surprised by her achievements, as she has always been a hard worker.

“She used to be up at two, three o’clock in the night to study, even though [we] kept on saying ‘Abi, you will break down; you can’t do that’. She was pumped and she went all out. She was planning to ace all her subjects; there was nothing holding her back,” he says.

“I had confidence in her because she is a hard worker. This is only her first step in achieving what she wants educationally,” he adds.

Abigayle, who is hoping to pursue a career in computer science, is now attending Herbert Morrison Technical High in the parish where she is enrolled in the school’s sixth-form programme.

With her grit, determination, and strong parental support, there could be no limit to her future achievements.