Sameilio Gordon overcomes adversity to top PEP exam at Old Harbour Bay Primary

Sameilio says his greatest motivation throughout his PEP exam preparation was his mother, Marlene Gordon, who has been ailing for some time. Her illness affected him emotionally, but she encouraged him to stay focused by reminding him of the success of his two older sisters, who had both done well in their PEP exams in previous years.

To prepare for the exams, Sameilio adopted various study strategies, including consistent revision and what he called "swatting." “Anything that I’ve been taught, I don’t forget it. I also revise what I’ve learned each day by reading over the notes I’ve made,” he told Old Harbour News.

Samuel Gordon, Sameilio’s father, encourages his son to always lead by example, reminding him frequently to “be a leader and not a follower and to be an example and do what is right”. 

Despite being visually impaired, Sameilio’s mother, is actively involved in his studies. In our interview she recounted that oftentimes she had to be repeating to her son to “go and get the book, read to me, and explain what a certain topic means”. 

Mrs. Gordon told Old Harbour News that Sameilio has always expressed a desire to buy her a house and a car, she reminds him that he’ll need a sound education and secure a good job to make those dreams a reality. Because of this, she continues to encourage him to do well in school, describing Sameilio as a humble child. “Sameilio is a very humble boy, but I know he was really happy when he received the award for Top PEP Boy at his graduation. But I was the one who jumped, screamed, and thanked God when his name was called,” she said with a laugh. 

“Sameilio does well in all subject areas,” she added, crediting his Grade Four teacher, Miss Ming, his Guidance Counsellor, Mrs. Tenlock, and his Grade Six teacher, Mrs. Gordon, for supporting him throughout his PEP journey. “I remember his Grade Four teacher speaking to me after the PEP exams, and she said that any school Sameilio wants to attend, he can. And because they know that I am sick and sometimes he is a little down at times, they all come together to encourage and support him,” Gordon told Old Harbour News.

The mom-of-three also credited Kreative Arts Early Childhood Centre, for the solid foundation that they created for Sameilio from his earlier academic journey.

“We are Seventh-Day Adventist Christians, so we put God at the front, and my husband and I wanted the best for Sameilio so we worked towards it by teaching Sameilio good principles. God is in control of everything that’s what I always instill in him. Sameilio is a praying child. He said to me, ‘Mommy, when the principal and the guidance counsellor told me I passed for Glenmuir High School, I went inside my class, prayed, and gave thanks to God’. He always prays and asks God to help him remember what he studied,” she stated.

For Mrs Gordon, Sameilio’s PEP success is more than just high scores it’s a deeply emotional milestone. Overwhelmed with pride and gratitude, she described the moment as a reward for the sacrifices their family made, especially during her illness. “I have strength to keep fighting even though I’m so sick,” she said. “I want to see Sameilio graduate for Glenmuir. We were having some discussion about career paths and he says he wants to become an engineer or a computer technologist so I going to fight to see him move on to become what he wants to become.”

Mrs. Gordon encourages parents to put God at the forefront, affirm to their children how much they love them and never compare them with others. “Let them know that they are special”, she ended.