At 12 years old, Chivonne Munroe has the confi-dence and maturity of someone twice her age. A first former at Hampton High School for Girls in St. Elizabeth, Chivonne is clear about her choice to attend a boarding school miles away from her hometown in Hanover.

"I chose Hampton High because I liked the environment in which the ladies are taught. My mother had told me about the school and I saw documentaries about Hampton on television and I also went on the Internet and learned more about the school," she disclosed.

Top achiever

She disclosed that Westwood was her second choice. "I also liked Westwood because of the environment and because it is an all-girls school. It is important to me that I attend an all-girls school to relate to people of the same interest and of the same kind and it helps me focus more," she said of her decision.

A past student of the Green Island Primary School in Hanover, Chivonne scored a 95 per cent average in the GSAT exams last June, an achievement which earned her the top spot among those from her school who sat the exam. She also received the highest score in the parish.

Her mom, Marcel Wedderburn, proudly reeled off her daughter's achievements.

"She scored 100 in communication task; 99, mathematics; 96, English language; 92, social studies; 87, science."

Ms. Wedderburn, who explained that she raised Chivonne and her 15-year-old brother as a single parent, said that Chivonne has always taken a very responsible attitude towards her schoolwork.

"She studies around the clock!" she exclaimed. "If I am at work and she has homework that she can't manage, she writes me a note that says, "Mommy, I have homework on page eight of whatever book it is, please wake me up when you come'," Ms. Wedderburn continued

"When she was preparing for GSAT, she studied up to 11 o'clock at night and she studied every day," she continued, while disclosing that Chivonne has a love affair with her books.

Chivonne has a short-term goal of leaving Hampton with 11 distinctions, a feat her mother is confident that she will achieve. For the long term, she has her sights set on becoming a medical doctor, a dream she said she has fostered for several years and which is influenced by an injury, which, so far, she has had to live with.

"I want to be a doctor so that I can help people. I was born with a hole in my ear drum and becoming a doctor has been a passion for me since I was small," Chivonne revealed.

Because of her ear problem, Chivonne is not able to swim. She says doctors have told her that, if at age 16 the hole doesn't heal by itself, then they will have to do surgery to correct it. A prospect, which she says does not scare her.

Admitting that she no longer plays with dolls, Chivonne revealed, with a smile, that she does love her teddy bear and likes using the Internet. She said writing poetry is her favourite thing to do during her spare time, as it is a natural talent, which she has.

"It just comes naturally, as I put a pencil to a book the words just flows out. I also love to sing; Beyoncé and Mariah Carey are among the many singers who inspire me," she stated, adding that public speaking is also one of her passion.