‘Right attitude, determination key to success’
It was late in the afternoon when I met up with 19-year-old Kalsey Belle at the Seychelles Nation office.
Immediately, her fairly down-to-earth personality was apparent and one could tell that this 
She ranked first in Seychelles for her A-levels last year at the School of Advanced Level Studies (Sals) and came out with three A*s for the sciences and one A.
Kalsey’s scores were 100% for physics, 93% for chemistry, 95% for biology and 87% for mathematics.
Daughter of deputy chief executive of Sepec Eddie Belle and former SBC TV producer and host Jacqueline Moustache-Belle, Kalsey hails from Souvenir, La Misère, and is the second eldest of three children.
Together with her siblings, she attended the Independent School. In her childhood years, she lacked a bit of self-confidence and to help build it, Kalsey’s parents encouraged her to take part in school clubs, sports and inter-house competitions. This proved to be a wise decision, giving her a nudge in the right direction.
As she grew older and her confidence grew, she took it upon herself to enrol in various organisations such as Scouts, the President’s Award Scheme and competitions such as public speaking, drama and swimming, among others, at school level.
A competition she truly enjoys taking part in is essay writing. One of her biggest achievements was the two essays she wrote in 2007 and 2008 for the annual Commonwealth essay competition and for which she was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ and ‘First in Seychelles’ for both.
Kalsey also shared with me her involvement at district level. She represented her district, Grand Anse Mahe, in the national public speaking competition under the theme “Koste Seselwa” and a youth conference to review Aspirations 2013 held last year. She also joined the Jj Spirit Foundation.
Despite seeming constantly busy, Kalsey always makes time for leisure.
“I mostly like meeting up with my friends, going to the beach and I love talking basically to my parents or to my friends on the phone,” she said.
“I’m fond of reading but surfing the net isn’t one of my favourite past times. Though I’m from the younger generation, it doesn’t appeal to me all that much. I use the net mostly for research. Whenever I can, I prefer socialising in person.”
At A-level Kalsey took up four subjects -- mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology – for which she got A, A*, A*, A* respectively.
When asked why she chose those particular subjects, Kalsey said:
“When I got to A-level, I was still not absolutely sure which career I would like to pursue. Since I love maths, it was my first choice, then chemistry and physics automatically followed. I wanted to challenge myself with a fourth subject and after consultation with my parents and teachers, I chose biology!”
Taking up four subjects at A-level is no easy task as Kalsey came to find out once she had begun.
“It’s an intense two years where you have to fully apply yourself if you plan on succeeding,” she said.
“The assignments, tests and studying are all very demanding. However, in spite of all the work, it’s not as much of a nightmare as it is sometimes made out to be.”
She added that maths remained her favourite subject throughout.
Kalsey exercised flexibility in her study times and ways of studying.
“During the week I preferred tackling questions and worksheets, wrapping up with some studying. More studying was done during the weekends, especially on Sundays. Friday nights were my ‘off’ days when I would often go to the cinema. Unless of course I had an activity/party to attend on Saturday. Then I would change my ‘off’ day to Saturday,” she said.
In her second year at Sals, things started to become a little more hectic. Kalsey would often study half an hour before heading to the bus stop and once on the bus, would continue on the trip to school.
“It was a period where I had to manage my time carefully and efficiently,” she recalled.
During her study leave, Kalsey would do past papers in order to prepare for her upcoming exams. On her breaks, she would sometimes relax in front of the television or play with the puppies at home.
Kalsey’s success wasn’t achieved completely on her own.
“My parents were always there to guide and support me, especially when I was feeling disappointed with my performance or useless when I could not understand a topic. On days when I had a lot of work, my brothers helped by volunteering to do my share of chores. On the academic side, I received a lot of help from my friends and teachers,” she said.
When asked how she balanced leisure time and study time she said:
“I admit it was hard at A-level. Though I knew I had to study, I also knew the importance of relaxing so I found the balance that best suited me.”
And for all the students out there who aspire to study four subjects at A-level and do just as well, Kalsey’s advice is that “any challenge can be overcome, with the right attitude and determination”. In other words, if you put your mind to something and you are prepared to make some sacrifices, you should end up fulfilling your aim.
“Many different people from all walks of life have inspired me in different aspects,” said Kalsey. “I cannot mention any one particular individual”.
Kalsey’s next step is to go to university, get a degree and come back to work for her country.
“I hope to qualify with a degree in engineering,” said Kalsey. “Engineering lays a firm foundation for future careers, developing your mind to become more analytical as well as teaching you how to approach and tackle problems systematically, both work-related and in everyday life.”
By Rebecca Chang-Tave
Source: Seychelles Nation
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