Among The Believers: President's Gold Medal Winner

With her engaging smile and affable nature, President’s Gold Medal Winner breaks new ground

“I’m very outspoken, extroverted and I’d like to think I’m a good leader.” Nadimah Mohammed had been asked to list her attributes and flaws. “I can be a bit controlling and a bit critical …and my main flaw is that I’m too much of a perfectionist,” continued the 19-year-old UWI Student, without hesitation.

But it seems that her drive for perfection has led to this graduate of the nearby St Augustine Girls’ High School, to win the prestigious President’s Gold Medal in 2009. After ace-ing three subjects – Chemistry, Literatures in English and French, she became one of two students to win the President’s Gold Medal; Chantal Cave (also registered at UWI) is the other, she is a graduate of St Joseph’s Convent in Port of Spain.

In the Cape examinations, Mohammed got nine distinctions. She believes that her passion for learning, combined with the support of her family and spiritual beliefs all fuelled her success. A devout Muslim, she spoke of the value of family and religion in her life and underscored the importance of balance, “everything is about being balanced, that’s what my mom says.”

She seems to have found that equilibrium through her love of literature, sport and philanthropy. Among her favourite writers : Martin Carter, Camus, Shakespeare, Walcott and Wordsworth. She also is an avid scrabble and badminton player and has enjoyed many of the outreach programmes she took part in while at high school which helped families-in-need.

“I know where I stand and where my religion stands and it’s something that comes naturally… Once you have that relationship with Allah, everything flows.”

For Nadimah humility is key, as well as the need to “step back and assess situations”. A defining moment for her was the pilgrimage or Hajj to Mecca, there she had a defining moment, an epiphany.

“It made a big difference in my life, it was such a defining moment when you realize that you are not the centre of this world, God is the centre of everything.”

Her mentors and best friends are those within her family: mother, Lystra, a retired payroll clerk with the Trinidad Guardian is described as “very calm and wants to maximize our education, she dedicated her life to me and my sister” and her father Fazeer, a well known journalist and cricket commentator, who often encourages debate about current issues. For the Mohammed family no topic is taboo; in fact, it is an opportunity for discourse.

“You cannot insulate your children from the world outside …it invariably backfires,” explained Fazeer. “I’ve never told her you can’t read this book…the only way we operate in this family is to keep an open mind.”

She is quick to give special thanks to her sister, Amenah, currently a student at SAGHS as well as her teachers.

She paid kudos to French teacher Paul Carrington for bringing the text to life. “I was able to understand what the author brought across. I grew to love chemistry because of Joanne Mahadeo. I have to thank my literature teachers Sharda Ramsundar and Carolyn Harnanan. The two of them were an amazing team. I have to thank vice-principal Katherine Bahadur.” She explained to journalist Michelle Loubon of the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper.

The family has been celebrated by friends as well as neighbours, even strangers in the closeknit San Juan community where the family lives. For Fazeer, he is greatly appreciative of the thanks from the community and the wider public.

“It’s tremendous pride. You hope your children do better than your level of achievement… It’s very humbling how people have reacted, everyday people in the street, in the San Juan community seeing her as…one of their own. It’s very humbling. It is an entire family effort.”

What about the future for Nadimah. What are her hopes? Well, after graduating from University, where she is currently studying Psychology with minors in International Relations and Sociology, she wants to work with an international aid agency.

“My ultimate goal, since I was in Form One, is to work for the United Nations, or the UNDP or UNRWA, to make a fundamental change to improve things in Trinidad and Tobago.