A Success Story
In the summer of 2017, many in TCI would have thought life could not have been better for Chelsea Stubbs as she had earned the coveted title of Valedictorian at her prestigious High School, the British West Indies Collegiate. However, within a month of the Graduation ceremony that celebrated her academic success, a life-changing event was to see this young lady overcome challenges that even a seasoned adult would have struggled with.
Born in 2000, Chelsea attended the B.E.S.T. Institute primary school as a young child. As a result of her notable GSAT performance, Chelsea was awarded a Graceway IGA Scholarship that enabled her to attend the British West Indies Collegiate.
Her academic brilliance and her high degree of self-discipline were impressive from day one. A very competitive, yet modest young lady, 2015 alone saw Chelsea win 1st place in the national Inter High School Spelling Bee and 1st place in the Fortis Science Quiz.She was also a formidable force in the BWIC softball and volleyball teams, both winners of the National Inter High School Championships. Her natural curiosity and talent allowed her to try and succeed at any new discipline that she attempted. This is how Chelsea became a musician, a baker and a self-taught historian. She excelled in all her subjects and deservedly was named Valedictorian of the Year 11 Class of 2017. Yet, a month later, Chelsea’s world was to be rocked when her father and guardian suffered the first of two strokes!
Chelsea, at 17 years old, became her father’s primary care giver. She inevitably had to miss some classes, but often came directly to school from hospital, after tending to her father throughout the night. Alongside the tremendous workload of the Advanced Level courses she had just begun – not to mention the difficult living and working conditions created all around by Hurricane Irma – she would manage her home, take care of herself, and somehow find the time to study stroke rehabilitation.
The 10 A*’s she had achieved in her IGCSE examinations in Form 5, all at one sitting, saw Chelsea consequently recognised as TCI’s Top Science student, Top Humanities student and overall best performing student – a title shared with Tyrese Saunders – during the National Academic Awards in January 2019. However, even greater success had already reached Chelsea when she was awarded the Top in the World Award for Cambridge International AS-Level Chemistry, meaning that she had attained the highest mark in the world for first year Advanced Level examinations she took while caring for her father.
For most people, the enormous responsibilities resting on her young shoulders would have thrown them off course, but Chelsea simply worked harder to achieve her goals. She is currently completing her final year of the Advanced Level course in Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry at the British West Indies Collegiate, after achieving all A’s in the first year.
Chelsea is determined to become a physician and give back to her native TCI. She has accepted an offer to attend Imperial College in London, one of the most prestigious schools of medicine in the world. Chelsea is a credit to her family, particularly her father, Bennett Stubbs, her school, the British West Indies Collegiate, her sponsor, Graceway IGA, and more importantly to herself and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Turks and Caicos Islands have a unique way of developing resilient and determined people who are able to react positively to whatever life throws at them. Ernest Hemingway once said that courage is grace under pressure. This resolve has allowed the ever-smiling Chelsea Stubbs to come out on Top!
