Name: Lisa Rodgers

School: St Andrew's School graduate will attend Brown University

Year: 13

Lisa Rodgers was privileged to be able to attend one of the most prestigious schools in The Bahamas; but she certainly did not take the experience for granted. She made the most of it, and is one of our country's smart kids.

The 18-year-old finished her 12th grade year at St. Andrew's School with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.90.

But she does not define herself as smart; but rather as a hardworking, motivated individual, who felt fortunate to have attended a school like St. Andrew's, which she said made her obligated to try her hardest and get the most out of the education she received while there.

And she was not one of those children that parents had to push to study.

"I just did it on my own, and I think it comes from realizing the opportunities I've been given," said Lisa who attended St. Andrew's from pre-reception through Year 13.

"One of my biggest pet peeves is people who have opportunities and don't take advantage of them," said the young woman who sounds wise beyond her years.

In her quest for academic excellence Lisa adopted study habits that saw her retreat to the calm of her room, which she described as her sanctuary where nobody bothers her. She prefers to type up her notes, that way she said, it gets into her head, and if she's studying a subject that requires a lot of memorization, like biology, she speaks aloud, and pretends to teach someone else.

"It's just something that worked for me," she said. "And as you progress, you learn what works for you. And mnemonics, I use a lot, when I'm having a hard time remembering something. I will think of something that goes with the phrase that I keep forgetting."

Lisa's study habits also translated into excellent results in her external examinations. She sat seven Bahamas General Certificates of Secondary Education (BGCSE) subjects in 11th grade and attained A grades for her biology, chemistry, Spanish, math, English language, English literature and history papers.

She was also awarded the BGCSE literature prize as the top student in the country in that subject.

To complete Year 13, Lisa took the International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level exams in biology, English and history, and the Standard Level exams in chemistry, math studies and Spanish. She will not receive those grades until July, but feels confident about her results. The only one she was a little worried about was math, which is her weakest subject. Other than that, she thinks she did well.

And in ninth grade she sat the math and English Bahamas Junior Certificates of Education (BJC), and recorded A and B grades respectively. That year she also sat the International General Certificate of Education (IGCE) for drama, and was graded at an A star.

She's also one of those people who will turn the tables on people who would try to tease her because she's smart, in an effort to hide their insecurities.

"I would be the one saying why aren't you doing your work, or what were you doing, that you could not spend two hours doing what needed to be done," she said.

But as far as she can recall, Lisa said teasing was practically non-existent for her because many of the other kids in her grade level during her time at St. Andrew's were just as smart.

She did not find herself competing with them for good grades, but rather with herself to be the best that she could be. But she said being around that kind of environment helped.

The daughter of Patricia and John Rodgers lists biology as her favorite subject with math being on the other end of the spectrum.

But in final year at St. Andrew's, she said she did not find math as tedious as previous years, and she attributed it all to liking her teacher – Ms. Zara Matthews.

"She was a life saver." the student said. " We had her at the beginning part of the year as a substitute, before someone else took over; but things did not work out, so Ms. Matthews came back and was an absolute life-saver. She knew what she was doing; and we were a small class, so she would go around to each one, and was very personal, and I appreciated that."

Lisa further said that having teachers that students like is essential to their ability to learn. So much does this impress her that she is seriously considering a future in education.

"They [teachers] were people that I could talk to – and not just issues with the subjects," she said. "All of my teachers were also dedicated and passionate, and most of the time I went to the class inspired.

"Teaching is a very rewarding experience. They don't get enough credit that's for sure."

She is hoping to focus on primary education or on kids with special needs, and has done a lot of work with that age group. As a member of her school's Interact club at St Andrew's, she read to five and six year-old students from Sandilands Primary School weekly. She was also a Swim America coach, and was trained to teach basic swimming skills to other youngsters.

The smart kid who was accepted at Brown University, Tufts University, the University of Richmond and Rice University in the United States, as well as McGill, York; Western and Queens Universities in Canada, made the final decision to study for her undergraduate degree at Brown, the university she really wants to get into.

"To be honest I didn't think I would get accepted to Brown," she said. "And I was completely surprised, because it's such a prestigious school; and I feel honored to have been accepted." She said she prefers to not get her hopes up, only to have it dashed.

When not studying, Lisa likes to hang out with friends, go to the beach and read. And because she likes to think of others also, she said she likes to do little things to make people smile.

Name: Terran Dixon-Rolle

School: Graduate of Thelma

Gibson Primary

Grade: 6

Thelma Gibson Primary graduate, Terran Dixon-Rolle is one of our country's smart kids, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.60, and it's a road that his parents, Troy and Isaac Rolle, hope he continues on, as he begins his journey into the next phase of his life at St. Augustine's College at the end of the summer break.

But one of the highlights of his final year at the primary level, was being able to participate in the Southeastern District Spelling Bee competition, where he finished runner-up to Pretha Panday.

When Panday was unable to compete at the Bahamas National Spelling Bee competition sponsored by The Nassau Guardian,. Terran replaced her in the competition, but failed to place.

Terran who is described by his teacher Carolyn Yorke as "quiet," lists reading and writing as his hobbies; and is still uncertain about his future career goals; but said right now he is thinking about a career in teaching or in accountancy.

Name: Quianna Pinder

School: Spanish Wells All Age

Grade: 7

Quianna Pinder is described as a sponge by her teachers because she absorbs everything she's taught, making her a perfect 4.00 Cumulative Grade Point Average student at the Spanish Wells All-Age School in Spanish Wells, Eleuthera.

This daughter of Lance and Opal Pinder, who is said to be incredibly intelligent, lists mathematics as her favorite subject.

"She is very outgoing, participates in class, and has a very good attitude towards learning," says her teacher.

"She is like a role model for her peers and very much a leader. And she just has that innate ability to lead. She's lovely. She's very good and very consistent throughout the whole term, and not just exams."

When not studying, Quianna enjoys playing the saxophone. She aspires to become a beautician