Dr Doniel Bowen spent two years in grade five at Askenish All-Age School in Hanover. His academic performance was not up to par and his mother, Valreen Bowen, decided it was unwise for him to be promoted to the next grade as he was ill-equipped to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), the national high school entrance examination.
"I was a very bad student, I didn't know how to read up to grade," Bowen, 26, recalled.
"My mom let me repeat grade five before heading to grade six because she was afraid I would be a failure. This was a pivotal point that changed the trajectory of my life in academia. Within a year, not only could I read, but was also at the top of the class," Bowen added.
Indeed, the trajectory of his life changed as not only did the boy from Chambers Pen earn a place at Cornwall College after doing the GSAT, but he climbed the academia to the point where he was recently the valedictorian for the class of 2023 at the Anhui Medical University in China.
Bowen told THE STAR that he grew up in humble circumstances. He said that although money was "always scarce ... I've never seen myself as poor, nor did I intend to live in that situation forever". He saw education as his way out of those humble circumstances and had his sights set on becoming a medical doctor.
"There was never a second option if this doctor thing didn't work out," Bowen said.
Being named valedictorian, he said, is a culmination of years of hard work on his part, coupled with support from persons who shared his dreams.
"Many people didn't believe I'd turn out to anything. My mother, who only had a primary school education, is the smartest lady I know, and I couldn't let her down," Bowen said.
"I feel at peace, I deserved this. I worked hard for it and finally did it. I don't feel better than anyone, but rather feel like the representative of a community of young doctors who want to work. I told myself that it will be worth it one day," said the top student.
In addition to reading for his medical degree in China, the epicentre of COVID-19, Bowen said university live was not easy and there were times he felt like giving up.
Facing challenges during his medical studies in China, he never gave up, inspired by the support of close friends, teachers, and entities like the Hanover Charities, Kingsley and Diane Malcolm, and the Chambers Pen Seventh-day Adventist Church.
"They believed in this country boy from Chambers Pen, and I was able to complete medical school without any debt or loans. For that, I will be forever grateful for," Bowen said.
Now having completed his medical degree without any debt or loans, Dr Bowen is determined to pursue orthopaedic surgery at the Anhui Medical University in September. His success serves as an inspiration not only to himself but also to the community of young doctors eager to make a difference.
