Top girl eyes pool as she heads to Harrison College

The dream of sporting maroon and gold in the pool come September has just become a reality for the island’s top girl.

Hailing from the St Gabriel’s School, Ayobami Leon-Baker is hoping to make a splash at Crumpton Street when she begins her secondary school journey at Harrison College.

Leon-Baker could not contain her excitement as the feeling of pride beamed from her smile. She told Barbados TODAY: “I started to jump around because I was really happy because I was nervous for most of it [the exam]  and I was like I really want good marks so when they came back and I was the top girl I was so excited.”

She also said I wanted to go to Harrison College because of the swim team and “it’s the top school so I really like it”.

The island’s top performer said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic did not have much of an impact on her studies because her school transitioned smoothly onto the online platform.

She said: “We were preparing on Zoom because we couldn’t go to school in real life, so we were doing mock exams every week and doing other activities and going to school from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.”

An equally excited mum, LaTisha Leon Barker, recalled: “I didn’t even get the news from the call I was watching the press release and when they said her name a 100 per cent in Maths… So, I rushed and called her dad and then 99 in English so of course, I was elated and excited.”

Barker credited Ayobami’s teacher and her daughter’s discipline for the result explaining that she did not do extra classes.

“Ajo never attended lessons or what’s not,  she has just been working consistently in applying herself and balancing because she is a very well-rounded individual, she still swims and plays the piano, she plays the steel pan, she is in student council,” she said.

Barker said her daughter was very good at managing her time. “She had to slow down because of COVID, she had a  strenuous programme with the swimming but she was still doing her activities.”

“But I knew she was going to do well, the proud mum added. “She wanted to go to HC and I am happy that she made that dream come through.”
(kobiebroomes@barbadostoday.bb)