Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - It takes discipline and dedication to achieve academic excellence. And no one knows that better than Jake Ferber.
Jake is this year’s winner of the Middlesex Centre Proficiency Award, which was handed out by Mayor Aina DeViet prior at the July 17th council meeting. The award recognizes outstanding academic achievement by a graduating student from Medway High School.
“I’m most proud of the recognition and being ‘seen’ on that kind of scale,” says Jake who graduated from Medway with an overall average of 98.5%.
17-year-old Jake grew up in Ilderton and also attended Oxbow Public School. His impressive list of academic achievements also includes winning subject awards in chemistry, biology, english and calculus. “The need to improve was a big driving force for my academic success. Always wanting to be just a little bit better than I was,” says Jake.
Maintaining a school-life balance is also important. Jake plays soccer year-round, and enjoys drawing. This summer he’s been a day-camp counsellor in Ilderton. That experience has help him develop leadership skills. “It’s awesome, getting to work with kids… It’s also been a learning experience,” says Jake.
Jake’s family include his 20-year-old sister, who’s a biology major at Queen’s University. His dad is a software engineer and his mom is an elementary school teacher.
Jake will also enter Queen’s University in the fall, majoring in science. As for career aspirations, he’s keeping his options open. “I’m focusing on what I really want to settle into with academics in university and where that will take me. There are a lot of different professions in science that I could find myself sliding into,” says Jake.
As for advice for other young people striving for academic excellence, Jake stresses time management, and discipline while keeping a balance. “They should try to learn to prioritize academics and life in a way that is healthy for them, and they can be great people while excelling academically by learning that everything has an extent and is only so important. You need to accept failure when it comes and be disciplined enough to learn from it. This will make you a better person and a better academic,” says Jake.
