Andrea Downer, Gleaner Writer
Patterson
IF 17-YEAR-OLD Shari Patterson realises her dream, she will be saving lives in the next eight years. The very reserved young lady who is a final-year sixth-form student at Campion College wants to become an emergency room surgeon. She says she is fascinated by the whirlwind of activities that surrounds medical emergencies and her pulse races at the thought of the nano-seconds within which life and death decisions have to be made by doctors in emergency rooms.
"I like the rush," she explained, the ghost of a smile hovering around her lips. "I also like the variety of cases that would come into an emergency room," she continued.
MATURE BEYOND HER YEARS
Shari seems mature beyond her teenage years, and a quiet dignity emanates from her as she speaks. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she reflected on her achievements and mapped a path for her future.
"I used to study until two in the morning and get a few hours sleep and wake up and get ready for classes, which would begin at about nine o'clock," she explained. Her mother, beaming with pride she could not conceal, explained that she did her best to support her daughter as she studied.
"I made sure that everything in the house was done. I did not burden her with chores, I had her meals prepared so when she came home all she had to do was focus on her books," she explained. During those preparatory years, even television was a luxury that Shari was rarely, if ever, afforded.
"Neither one of us watched television much during that time," her mother explained. If I saw her watching it for too long, she had to turn it off and get back to her books."
Shari says apart from her books, she has one best friend, whom she grew up with. "I really don't like to study with a group, because sometimes that can make you lose focus," she explained. She said she read as many textbooks as she could on the subject areas she was studying.
"I read my prescribed textbooks and I also made sure I read the books that were not compulsory, but were recommended for reading by my teachers," she explained as she outlined her formula for success.
As Shari spoke, her five-year-old brother, Joel, hung on to her every word. She also credits her faith in God for her academic success. "I prayed a lot during that time and asked Him to help me to remember what I studied, she explained.
EIGHT DISTINCTIONS, ONE CREDIT
Shari achieved eight distinctions and one credit at CXC level. French, Spanish, physics, biology and chemistry are among the subjects she has acquired.
She is now in upper sixth form at Campion preparing for four subjects at the advanced level and has applied to seven universities in the United States, as well as the University of Technology where she says she plans to do a degree in pharmacology if the universities in the United States do not accept her.
And while she studies, she still finds time to tutor children from the inner city as part of a volunteer programme of the Interact Club at her school, which she has been a part of for the past four years. She also visits sick children at the Bustamante Children's Hospital on a monthly basis. She says the sick children inspire her.
"They teach me courage. When I see how ill they are and they still smile and try to play, it really encourages me. It makes me realise that I really have no challenges in comparison to them," she stated.
