Candice did it her way

Candice Davis, the second of single-parent Yvette Davis’ four daughters, has achieved this rarity.

From St Crispin’s Anglican Primary School in Woodbrook, Candice, who lives at Belmont, passed the Common Entrance examination for her first choice — Bishop Anstey High School — where she obtained six ones and two two’s in the CXC exams.

She originally planned to move on to A-levels and did actually start but realised, "I was not ready for it because the gap between Form Five and Form Six was too big." Just 16 years old at the time, Candice decided to go out and work for a year. She taught music at Briggs Preparatory School for six months, and was also the standard two class teacher. But, says this very, very level-headed young woman, "I always knew I was going back into Sixth Form. That was always the plan, I could not leave unless I told them I was coming back. They (her teachers) ensured that I was coming back."

In 2002 Candice returned to Lower VI and although nearly 18, "it didn’t make a difference" to the more mature student who chose to do French, Spanish, English Literature and General Paper at A-Levels. She immediately saw the reward of taking that time off: "I was more mature, more level-headed and producing a better standard of work. And knowing that I wanted to do languages had kept on revising so that my brain would not be too dull coming back into it.

"I did the most work ever while in Upper VI but never gave up my music." which she had passed at O-levels. "Music was the relaxation part and balanced the academics and I sang straight up to mock exams, at the Music Festival."

The results are now history: Candice was the winner of an Additional Scholarship in languages and above all placed third in the world in English Literature.

Did this teenager think she was going to win a scholarship? With a modest shrug of her shoulders she says "the teachers said yes, as a student you do not want to jinx yourself by thinking of it, you have the hope but you always felt there can be somebody better out there. My teachers always had that confidence in me."

Candice admits to a lot of extra early morning work. "I would go home, sleep, and get up at 3 am to study."

Good things continue to happen for this pretty, young woman, such as, winning the Cher Mere Radio Jingle competition last Christmas. On-the-job training through the Ministry of Education School Intervention Strategies Unit, assisting the director in preparing to deal with violence and indiscipline in schools.

"Everything I did always seemed to end up linked to schools." In no time she was back at her alma mater assisting music teacher Lorraine Granderson, and is now totally involved in preparing with the choir to participate in the July Eisteddfod Festival in Wales. Music has always been the love of Candice’s life:

"Starting from primary going into secondary. I entered calypso competitions and the Music Festival, have also sung solos, duets, and trios, and am still singing with the St Margaret’s Church Choir in Belmont."

In September she will enter the Bachelor of Science Management Studies programme at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and will study to obtain a major in Management Studies and minor in Spanish. What does Candice really want for a career, seeing that she is involved in so many disciplines?

"I am still undecided even choosing for UWI, I have been flitting between disciplines but I know that I will have to focus eventually," says the very talented young woman.