In an extraordinary academic achievement, 10-year-old Jamaican expatriate Knyhiem Fraser has successfully conquered the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) technical drawing examination—typically undertaken by high school students after years of preparation—while residing in Canada and attending a French-language institution.
Knyhiem’s remarkable journey involved a year of intensive independent study and online tutorials under the guidance of his father, Everett Fraser, an accomplished technical drawing instructor and textbook author whose works are utilized throughout Caribbean secondary schools. The young scholar traveled to Jamaica specifically to complete the examination at Kingsway High School, all while maintaining an active schedule that includes competitive soccer, ice hockey, and creating educational content for his YouTube channel.
What makes Knyhiem’s accomplishment particularly noteworthy is his dual-language educational environment. In Canada, he has simultaneously distinguished himself as the top-performing French-speaking student in his fifth-grade class, demonstrating exceptional linguistic and academic versatility.
The foundation of his success lies in his parents’ educational philosophy. Both Jamaican educators, Tricia Smith and Everett Fraser have long championed early childhood potential development. Fraser’s innovative teaching methodology, which incorporates video-based learning originally designed for academically struggling students, proved equally effective for his son. This approach has historically resulted in 100% pass rates among his students in external examinations.
Knyhiem confronted the challenge with remarkable maturity, transforming initial apprehension into determined confidence through psychological repositioning. “I changed the words from ‘I can’ to ‘I can, and I will pass the exam, no matter what,’” he recounted to the Sunday Observer.
His resilience was tested during the actual examination when technical difficulties disrupted his AutoCAD software. Demonstrating composure beyond his years, Knyhiem calmly reset the system and continued, attributing his poise to parental guidance and cultivated mental fortitude.
This same determination characterizes his athletic pursuits. Having begun ice hockey at eight years old without prior skating experience, Knyhiem diligently practiced to become team goalkeeper for the West London Hawks competitive squad.
The Fraser family advocates strongly for early childhood stimulation, arguing that children possess sponge-like learning capabilities during formative years. “If we stimulate them earlier at this age, they’re way more focused,” Everett Fraser explained, noting that Knyhiem frequently outperformed older students in regional revision classes.
Both parents encourage greater parental involvement in childhood education, emphasizing that learning extends far beyond classroom walls. Smith advised: “Having a strong foundation is a plus. Most of the time it helps to determine the path that our children will move in life academically.”
With aspirations toward professional soccer and entrepreneurship, Knyhiem offers simple yet profound advice to peers: maintain clarity of mind, prioritize rest, and embrace calculated risks. “The way to heaven is like hell,” he philosophizes, “because you have to make sacrifices and take risks.”