Nadine Wilson Harris
Campion College student, Jordan Hewitt, has been blazing a trail of academic excellence at the local and regional levels.
At age 18, he has an impressive résumé of accomplishments under his belt. These include five grade ones in the 2022 sitting of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) unit one, with straight ‘A’ profiles in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Pure Mathematics, and Communication Studies.
The multifaceted youngster was ranked in the top 10 regionally in four of the five subjects sat, and was the top candidate in Biology, a feat of which he is immensely proud.
“I was quite happy with that. Again, I took [the top prize] for Biology, and I was so grateful to my [Biology] teacher,” a beaming Jordan told JIS News.
Back in 2021, he aced the nine Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subject sat, earning distinctions in Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, Spanish, Information Technology, Chemistry, Biology and Physics.
He placed in six of his nine subjects regionally, copping first place in Biology, English Literature and Spanish; seventh in Information Technology, and eighth in Physics and Chemistry.
“I was quite surprised at my performance in the CSEC examinations because, as you know, there was the whole pandemic interruption and that crazy transition to online school. My school was, fortunately, very quick in transitioning to online [classes]. So although it was in a limited capacity, we didn’t miss as much time as lots of other schools did,” he stated.
While studying for his exams, Jordan was also busy developing a website, dubbed ‘Quelper’, to assist students across the Caribbean in preparing for the CSEC examinations.
He said building the resource hub, which went live in March 2020, helped him master the content for his exams.
“I was still preparing resources for my site, because I find that creating those resources actually helps me prepare a lot as well. Because, as I am researching, I am realising where my gaps are and where somebody else would also want this insight. So it really creates a nice package of knowledge that even I can use when I am reviewing,” he explained.
Jordan, who is now in upper sixth form, has been a standout student since kindergarten at United Learning Centre (ULC) in Ocho Rios, St Ann.
The avid reader topped his class consistently from grades one to six while balancing extra-curricular activities, including music and track and field.
His academic prowess in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) earned him a government scholarship to attend Campion College, where he remains at the top of his class.
“I was a good reader… that’s what I can remember my kindergarten teacher saying. Pretty much from grade one all the way up to grade six, I was the most outstanding boy in my class, and during those years, I had a broad appreciation for all of the subjects,” Jordan shared.
“I love to read, I love to write, and I started coming into my own with things like playing the piano and track and field and all of my other interests,” he added.
The youngster, who also dabbles in art, attributes his consistent stellar performance to discipline and the strong support of his teachers and parents.
“I was always quite consistent. All my teachers would probably say, ‘he is a bright boy’. But because of the support of my teachers and my parents, of course, I was quite fortunate to have a consistent performance,” he said.
He has earned a number of accolades in high school, including several Magis Awards, and graduated valedictorian in fifth form.
Campion College uses its Magis Awards Ceremony to recognise students who, in a given academic year, epitomise the magis, an expression of aspiration and inspiration, through their excellence in service, school citizenship, sports, and academics.
“Right now, in sixth form, I am still quite consistent. There aren’t really class rankings at that point, but I’d say my grades and average have remained quite consistent,” Jordan stated.
The great debater and poet was also guided into leadership roles at the primary and secondary levels.
He was deputy head boy at ULC, a sub-prefect in grade 11, and now a senior prefect in upper sixth form at Campion.
Jordan now heads the science club at his school and was vice president of the debating society.
With a reasonable spread of extracurricular activities and his determination to maintain top-notch grades, Jordan said he plans strategically in order to maintain the balance.
“I don’t always plan. But when I do plan, it’s much more seamless. So, I have a huge ‘to do’ list with all of my tasks… all of my reminders. So, when I sit down and I have time, I just go through and I check through all of them,” he told JIS News.
Jordan’s academic accomplishments have placed him a step closer towards fulfilling his dream of becoming a biotechnologist, a profession he wants to use to improve lives and livelihoods within the Caribbean.
The St. Ann native hopes to pursue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
“[Biology] is my one true love. I want to apply the concepts of biology to novel engineering problems. In the Caribbean, there isn’t a presence for biotechnology. So if I can bring a focus on using those esoteric uses of life to improve lives and livelihoods to our region, that’s definitely a goal that I have,” Jordan shared.
Jordan’s mother, Velissa Hewitt, is not surprised by her son’s continued academic success, noting that she discovered his giftedness at an early age.
“At prep school, he was top of his class all the time. He has been special ever since [and] his performance has always been impressive,” she said.
