The achievements of the top two 2020 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) students in Tobago were celebrated by the bmobile foundation.

First placed, Susannah Thompson, and second placed, Reyanna Thomas, have been awarded connectivity for the first five years of secondary school admission. The students were honoured during a simple ceremony held at the bmobile Lowlands Mall Office in Tobago.

For over six years, the company has recognised the top SEA performers of Trinidad and Tobago as a reward for their excellent achievement and as a measure of supporting their journey to continued success.

TSTT’s Manager, Enterprise Sales Marketing, Onica Blackman, congratulated the two students for their outstanding accomplishment. “You worked hard, you made the necessary sacrifices, and you should feel proud of your achievements so far.” Blackman said that she was proud that bmobile was able to support the students, especially in the advent of COVID-19 and the shift to online learning. “At TSTT, we are committed to playing a key role in the island and the country by extension. Our donation is part of this longstanding commitment, as we are pleased to provide this gift of connectivity especially this year, amid this global pandemic. We believe that as a nation we can reach our highest potential once dedication is placed into properly nurturing the talent of our youth who inevitably are our future.”

The island’s top student, Susannah Thompson, who has moved on to Bishop’s High School said that she was excited to receive this gift as she uses the internet much more frequently now.

“It will really support me in my studies.”

She noted that her placement in the exam came as no surprise to her as topping the examination was a dream of hers. “I feel very happy because I worked towards this. Ever since I was in standard four, when they talked about SEA, I knew I wanted to be first,” she said. She added: “During standard four, I was revising every night and during class exams, I would try my best and if I didn’t

know something, after the exam and I got results, I would go over it. In standard five, after each test, I would go over everything.”

COVID-19 forced the early closure of primary schools mere weeks before the exam. According to Thompson, writing the exam is typically nerve-wracking, but writing it amid a pandemic presented new challenges. “Actually, I was happy when they said that SEA was pushed back, but as they kept pushing it back, it got tiring and stressful and I just didn’t want to do it anymore,” she said.

Her mother, Suzanne Baptiste-Thompson was overwhelmed by bmobile’s reward.

“It’s going to be a big help. It shows that bmobile cares and now, where everything is online and digital, the internet is core in a child’s learning, so we are extremely appreciative.”

She said she was thrilled by her daughter’s results. “Initially, we questioned each other, ‘is it really true?’ We were elated, and we lifted our hands and gave thanks to God. We were moved with emotions that He is so good in spite of the challenges and everything else that comes our way. He hears us and this is a big motivation… love plays a big part in it and we are overjoyed,” Baptiste-Thompson said.

While second placed, Reyanna Thomas, who is now attending St Augustine Girls High School, said the results completely stunned her.

"I was initially shocked, and I broke down in tears. I worked very hard but at times I still doubted myself. The day before the results came out, I was so nervous, thinking that I didn't do well. It took me a while to process my accomplishment, and right now I am very happy that all my hard work paid off and that I was able to be placed in my first-choice school,” she said.

She said prior to the exams, she began getting headaches from the sudden, prolonged usage of the computer for online classes, while she was anxious that the exam date kept postponing.

Her mother, Nadia Wilson-Thomas thanked bmobile for their generosity. She said: “This reward was well thought out and is very much appreciated. We are becoming more and more reliant on technology for the most basic of functions, and it is even more appropriate at this time where we were suddenly thrust into the world of online learning. That being said, it will assist her greatly on her educational journey.”

She said while she expected Reyanna to do well, it is still an unreal feeling.

“I was surprised. I knew she would have done well because she was always focused and studied without prompting, but we weren’t studying top ten placement. It's still surreal. Every time I think about it, I just get a really good feeling inside. I'm beyond proud of her,” she said.