Khadian Thomas is Academically Gifted and Nationally Recognized


THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Khadian Thomas, an eighth grader attending Watervaliet Junior-Senior High in New York, has achieved several awards recognising her as one among the top academically-talented students in America.
The Jamaican-born Khadian, was one of 10 students from her school to receive the national award for honour roll students from the United
States Achievement Academy (USAA). Over two million students across the USA received the award and automatically became members of the National Junior Honour Society 2001.
They were nominated by their teachers, professors or coaches in their respective institutions,and/or community leaders, on the basis of
academics, reputation, community involvement, leadership, attitude and dependability.
Their biographies were all published in the 2001 volume of the USAA National Award yearbook, and, even more important, each awardee
is now qualified to apply for one of the USAA scholarships, for outstanding students only.
Khadian's family is not surprised at her achievement since she has per cent and above average. Just recently her school recognised her as Student of the Week, then Student of the Month and this qualified her
for acceptance into Clarkston University's Horizon programme in the summer, which is primarily for girls who are good in Science and Mathematics.
Khadian migrated to New York to live with her mother shortly after her father died suddenly in 1995, a traumatic period, which she said stimulated her to work harder.
"When my father died it made me want to work harder, because if he were alive he'd want to see me getting all these awards," she said.
Her former schools are Mico Practising and Bridgeport Infant Schools. Today, her strongest subject is Social Studies, and she is preparing to be multi-lingual, by studying Russian, French and Spanish. "I want to be a historian or a lawyer one day and I feel it's important to know your past, that way you don't make any mistakes in the future," she said during an interview at the Jamaica Observer.
The United States Achievement Academy was founded October 14, 1980 in Kentucky to recognise outstanding students in America's high schools.
It started with only four schools. Today, the academy recognises 1.2 million students annually in 37 areas of achievement on the junior high, high school and collegiate levels.
Since its inception the academy has had the unique opportunity to honour academic students, athletes, college and university students.
(Reprinted from Jamaica's Observor newspaper)