—aims to become a neurosurgeon
Berbice High School and the family of Grade Eight student Mary Ashley Gupta are celebrating her achievement in securing passes in five subjects at the June 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
Gupta, 12, successfully completed Mathematics, English A, Chemistry, Physics and Human and Social Biology—subjects normally attempted by students several years ahead of her.
“While most of her peers are just getting settled into secondary school, Mary was already tackling CSEC-level subjects—and excelling,” the school said in a post highlighting her performance.
“This is what determination, discipline and pure academic brilliance look like. BHS is beyond proud of you, Mary! The sky is truly the limit.”
Her father, Mark Gupta, told Kiskadee Watch that Mary has been accepted by Texila American University and is expected to begin studies there in September. He said she intends to pursue medicine and eventually become a neurosurgeon.
“Mary is currently enrolled at Texila American University. She is starting her medical career in September 2026,” he said, while expressing the hope that she will become Guyana’s youngest doctor and neurosurgeon.
Mary previously attended All Saints Primary School, where she consistently performed well and displayed a natural ability to excel at the activities to which she applied herself.
Following the National Grade Six Assessment, she earned a place at St Rose’s High School in Georgetown. Her family, however, decided to enrol her at Berbice High School, where she placed first in her class during her first year.
Her father said he had always recognised that Mary processed information differently from many children her age. He described her as curious, adventurous, highly focused and naturally attracted to challenges.
She particularly enjoys complicated LEGO sets and can spend long periods assembling sets containing as many as 5,000 pieces with remarkable speed and concentration.
Mary also enjoys motorcycles, skiing, go-karting, roller coasters and other fast-paced activities. Her ability with technology has also impressed her family.
According to Mark, whenever she encounters a problem with a computer, she will research it and frequently determine how to fix it herself. He said the speed at which she processes information while playing video games is also remarkable.
Mary is not easily engaged by many of the activities that ordinarily hold the attention of children her age, he added. As a result, he has often had to search for tasks sufficiently difficult to keep her interested.
CSEC
After she completed her first year at Berbice High, Mark asked whether she would like to attempt CSEC.
He told her that she could sit the examinations simply to test her ability and that, if she succeeded, he would do everything possible to help her pursue her interest in medicine.
“Something about that challenge ignited a fire in her,” he related.
The idea that she was so young but could attempt examinations normally written by much older students became a major source of motivation, he said. The more difficult the undertaking appeared, the more determined she became.
Mark subsequently approached the administration of Berbice High and explained what he wanted Mary to attempt.
He said the headteacher was initially hesitant because of her age and the possibility that allowing such a young student to sit the examinations prematurely could result in failure and affect the school’s overall pass rate.
During the first term, the headteacher asked Mary to complete past examination papers in the proposed subjects so that her readiness could be assessed.
The challenge was considerable because she had not formally studied most of those subjects and was given only two weeks to prepare.
A specialised teacher was engaged to work intensively with her, provide a crash course in the subjects and introduce her to CSEC past papers. Mark said the teacher was initially sceptical about whether the undertaking was realistic but agreed to assist.
For the next two weeks, the teacher worked with Mary from approximately 8 am to 5 pm every day, including Sundays.
When she completed the school’s assessment, Mary correctly answered approximately 45% to 55% of the questions, despite having had only two weeks of preparation in subjects she had never formally studied.
That performance persuaded the headteacher to allow her to sit CSEC, although the number of subjects she could attempt was limited. According to her father, Mary had wanted to write additional subjects, including Biology and Integrated Science.
Her formal preparation began around the middle of October and her daily routine changed considerably. She was placed in a Fifth Form class alongside students who had already spent years preparing for the examinations.
Mary had to learn within months material that students would ordinarily cover over several years while simultaneously completing all the required School-Based Assessments.
At the end of each school day, her father collected her and took her directly to extra lessons, which sometimes continued until 7 pm. Her schedule frequently ran from Sunday to Sunday.
Private tutoring in all five subjects was also arranged at the family’s home during the final two months before the examinations.
Mark admitted that there were occasions when he felt sorry for his daughter because of the pressure she faced and the number of hours she was studying at such a young age.
What impressed him, however, was her determination. Mary decided to set aside video games, entertainment and many of her other interests to concentrate on the examinations.
She nevertheless took two separate vacations lasting approximately two weeks each and did not study during either trip.
Taking those breaks and the late start of her formal preparation into account, Mark estimated that she effectively prepared for the five CSEC subjects in approximately six months.
“What began as a question—‘Do you want to try CSEC just to see what you can do?’—proved that with determination all things are possible,” he said.
Strong performance
Meanwhile, Berbice High also reported a strong overall performance at the 2026 examinations. Eighty-six students secured passes in five or more subjects at Grades One to Three, including Mathematics and English A. Several students gained passes in between 12 and 18 subjects.
“Every name on this list represents late nights, early mornings and the kind of discipline that makes a teacher proud,” the school said.
In a message to the wider school community, Berbice High congratulated the successful candidates and thanked their families and teachers for supporting them.
“To our students: this is your moment. To our parents and guardians: thank you for walking this journey with them. To the BHS staff: this is what dedication looks like when it comes full circle,” the school said.
It added that it looked forward to more outstanding performances from its students in the years ahead.
It congratulated the successful students and thanked their parents, guardians and teachers for supporting them.
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