“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela
First Assembly of God Wortmanville (FAOGW) hosted its 17th Annual Celebration Day under the inspiring theme “Success: Believe and Achieve” on 18th November, 2022. The forum accomplished its targeted objective yet again; motivating, encouraging, and honouring those who dare to pursue academic excellence and higher learning. This noble initiative is the brainchild of Bishop Dr. Murtland R. Massiah, implemented to celebrate our students, the young and young at heart, as they strive to develop and transform lives.
Students Tiffiney Johnson, Calvin Bernard, and Torian Peniston are basking in their accomplishments, having secured this year’s first, second, and third places amongst the many who wrote the CSEC examinations from FAOGW. All three of our top achievers attend our outstations. With exam stress now behind them, they graciously shared about the preparation process and dreams for the future.
Tiffiney Johnson from the Judah outstation in Sophia gained 8 subjects: 3 Grade 2’s, 2 Grade 3’s, and 3 Grade 4’s at the recent CSEC examination. Tiffiney, 17 years old, is this year’s FAOGW’s top CSEC achiever. Tiffiney’s success was not without challenges. Her day started at 4:00am in order to travel to South Georgetown for extra lessons from 6:00am to 8:00am, after which she hurried off to Christ Church Secondary School in central Georgetown for her regular school day which began at 9:00am. When school ended at 3:00pm, she walked for 15 minutes to the bus park to make her way back to lessons from 3:30pm to 10:15pm. Using unscheduled public transportation caused all of the hassles one can imagine. Lengthy wait times interrupted her schedule, and often delayed her virtual study group to the wee hours of the morning, between 1am to 3am. She recalls, “Sleep was a strong force to reckon with” but she knew her hard work and sacrifice would be rewarded so she persisted.
Managing a complex schedule is one thing, but economic factors amped up the challenge. Tuition, books, test papers, internet, food, transportation, and personal items, all required for this journey are not cheap. But her parents were equally driven and relentless. Her father, a construction worker, and her mother, a police officer, were selfless in their sacrifices to get her here. She marveled at her mom’s strength and commitment, and how she always found a way to pay for tuition and transportation, even in difficult times. Tiffiney’s suggestions to skip classes when things were tough, were always met with a resounding “NO” from her mom. Her mom was her prayer warrior and consistently encouraged her to keep pushing ahead, while reminding her that it would soon be over.
Tiffiney also credits her close-knit family as a stable, constant driving force. She lovingly reminisces on her late older brother, to whose memory she dedicates her CSEC achievement. He was her best friend and unfortunately did not complete his examinations but encouraged her to do better than he did.
In addition to her family, Tiffiney had a high praise of gratitude to her Pastor, Evelyn Gulliver, and her church family at Judah Assembly of God. Pastor Gulliver urged her to stay on track; “Study, study, study because faith without works is dead. Trust the Lord and believe Him in ways you cannot trace Him”, were some of the words she always shared. The late Assistant Pastor Ian Belle invited her to the altar every Sunday and prayed for her. She still remembers his words to her, “Tiffiney, I believe in you, you can do it”. She also acknowledged her teachers as being very instrumental in her success.
Tiffiney is an active worship dancer at church and balances her ministry commitment with other leisurely activities like football and cosmetology which she loves. She is especially proud that her accomplishment has debunked the biased narrative often associated with her community. Instead, she sees herself as the future envisioned by the late President L.F.S. Burnham when he unveiled his plans for the country there. Indeed, she epitomises the notion that one can accomplish whatever he/she puts their mind to.
Tiffiney plans to pursue studies at the Guyana Technical Institute and simultaneously explore the world of work. Career-wise, she sees herself becoming an immigration officer. To students preparing for the upcoming CSEC she says, “Push forward, the sky’s the limit, and prove yourself worthy”. She posited, “I am a living testimony that good things can come out of Sophia”.
Calvin Bernard from Barnwell North outstation secured 6 subjects: 3 Grade 2’s, 2 Grade 3’s, and 2 Grade 4’s. Calvin who’s lovingly known as “Lil boy” is the only boy among three sisters. His soft-spoken and calm personality captivates you as he tells the story of him being the pampered one in the family. He hails from the village of Mocha Arcadia and attended the Tutorial High School.
Sixteen-year-old Calvin comes from a humble family. His parents ensured he had all that he needed to complete his CSEC examination, and continue to support him as he pursues studies at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre in Electrical Installation. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father in this career path, but ultimately, he aspires to become an engineer.
Calvin’s preparation for CSEC included studying and working past examination papers for 2 to 3 hours daily. In addition to regular classroom instruction at school, he benefited from additional tuition outside school hours – both in-person and virtually. His hectic schedule did not keep him away from church, however. He struck a healthy balance of studies; worship and ministry; and leisurely activities, including video games and outdoor activities. But his favourite relaxation comes from reading, and that habit has evidently served him well. Calvin leveraged the knowledge gained from reading to produce his School Based Assessments (SBAs), a critical component of the grading criteria.
A strong support network is critical to success in any area of life, including academia, and Calvin has a superb cheerleading squad. He reserves the highest thanks to God first and foremost and is incredibly grateful to his immediate family, his teachers, and his Pastor, Amardat Bhojedat, who gets special kudos for always encouraging him.
“Do not allow heartaches and disappointments to stop you, most of the people who’ve reached the top and are managing the world, are not necessarily those who’ve always been bright but those that were determined.” – Bishop Dr Murtland R. Massiah
Calvin encourages those sitting next year’s CSEC examination to, “Study hard but also leave some free time for yourself. Even if you don’t do as expected in your examinations, it is not the end of the world, and you can do it again and continue to study”.
Torian Peniston from the Barnwell North outstation also gained 6 subjects: 1 Grade 2, 4 Grade 3’s, 1 Grade 4. Sixteen-year-old Torian resides in the Mocha Arcadia village and attended Diamond Secondary school. He has great ambitions of becoming a civil engineer.
Torian described his preparations for the CSEC exams as stressful and challenging. He had trouble sleeping and the lack of sleep affected his focus. Notwithstanding, Torian did not let the challenges he faced discourage him. He remained focused and pressed on. He reduced the amount of leisure time spent with friends and cut back on screen time. He also used a timetable to manage his time. It was important for Torian to maintain a healthy balance since he is an avid swimmer. Moreover, he is an active member of his football club as well as the youth ministry at the Barnwell North outstation.
He credits his support network for his success. Throughout the journey, he relied heavily on his parents, teachers, and his pastor, (Pastor Armadat Bhojedat). “The church was with me right from the very beginning until the end,” he said. Torian knows that his unwavering determination and resources such as the right textbooks were instrumental to his results, but ultimately, he believes that God honoured his unwavering prayers.
Torian admits that he expected better grades, but given the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the educational system, he is proud of the outcome. His motto is Discipline, Dedication, Determination. and he advises students preparing for the CSEC exams to be focused, and “Put God first in everything you do and the rest will follow after.”
FAOGW celebrates the success of Tiffiney, Calvin, and Torian, and is confident that they will accomplish the goals they aspire to. We encourage everyone with the words of Bishop Dr Murtland R. Massiah, guest speaker of Celebration Day, “Do not allow heartaches and disappointments to stop you, most of the people who’ve reached the top and are managing the world, are not necessarily those who’ve always been bright but those that were determined.”
