April Dagana got a 95.33% average to top the island’s Common Entrance Exam in 2018 and on Monday, the Camille Henry Memorial student spoke to the VOICE to share her feelings on her magnificent achievement.
“I feel thankful, I feel really excited because I’ll be actually playing with them and my mother cannot tell me to stop to go and study because I’ve already finished the exams…” an elated April Dagana said after being asked to express how she felt topping the island’s entrance exams.
She had just received a brand new Xbox from Here to There Services (H2T) a moment earlier, a bicycle from Universal Cycle Centre and she could barely contain her excitement.
Dagana was thankful for the bicycle as well, although conceding that she actually can’t ride one.
“Even though I can’t ride a bike I know he [my father] will teach me one of these days. So I thank you guys a lot.” She stated.
Although Dagana revealed that she expected to go to Saint Joseph’s Convent, she admitted that she didn’t expect to top the island, even though persons told her she could; so when she actually did, it was a very emotional moment for her.
“Everybody was telling me I could top, but I never actually believed it myself. What I wanted to do was to just do my best, go to Convent and that’s it. I never actually expected to top the island and actually I did and I actually cried. That was a really big moment for me.”
When asked what she plans to do now that her life at the primary school was coming to an end, she said “As I go to the Convent I just want to focus on my education and I also want to try to [play] some sports…”
A little known fact is that April Dagana has been an active participant in sports at her school, and isn’t just a top academic student.
Looking even further ahead, she spoke of her desire to “get a scholarship so I can get into university.”
In a moment both of candour and humour, she described the role her father played in her achievement, even though she revealed that he actually never studied with her.
“He actually told me to stop playing around and to focus on my studies, even though he actually never studied with me but he was there to help me. He was just doing a normal Dad job.”
Her father was at her side when she received her awards after topping the island and spoke of how very proud and excited he was at his daughter’s achievement.
“I mean I’m excited. Any parent would be excited but like she said it’s not like she went into the Common Entrance [exam] to top the island. She was just doing her everyday work. That’s it; so if she tops the island that’s a bonus. Like I told her on the day of the exam just take it like any other day.”
Asked about his thoughts on the Xbox, and the bicycle, he said he has no problem with them and revealed that they [April’s parents] also have gifts to give her, as promised.
“I support it as long as it’s going to aid her in her studies, as long as it’s not a distraction. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it and it will serve as an incentive…. We [her parents] also have our own package that we are going to give to her. Definitely! We promised her…if she topped the island.”
He concluded by stating that “we’ll take it from there” and called their gift to their daughter “our little secret.”
