Despite having touched excellence with their fingers by achieving the best grades in the June session of the University Access Assessment (EBAU) in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (in its general phase), Amelia González Carballo, Sergio Domínguez Mangas, Gabriel Negrín Santos, Daniel Rodríguez Gallar and Siria María González Vicente have just experienced a moment not without nerves and stress, and decisive in their lives, which will mark the course of their professional and personal future.
With Amelia's 10 points, Sergio's 9.97 and the three 9.95s of Gabriel, Siria and Daniel, the five have achieved the best grades among the 4,733 students who took the general test at the University of La Laguna, a figure that reaches almost 21% of the 250,000 second-year Baccalaureate students in Spain who have just taken the exams of the old and dreaded Selectividad.
Now, after those outstanding grades, the hard-won victory, and the well-deserved reward for the tremendous and sustained effort made throughout the past year, it's time to enroll in their chosen degree programs, and for those who will begin after the summer. Their most ambitious plans for the summer involve having fun with friends, spending time with family, and making the most of their remaining free time before becoming university students.
Until that moment arrives, one of the things that will keep Amelia González, a student at the Hispano Británico School, busy is an introductory Italian course, a language she has always wanted to learn, and a challenge in which she will give her best, just as she already did to achieve the grade of 13.8 (out of 14) that will allow her to pursue her studies at Degree in Medicine at the University of La Laguna.
It was last year when this Tenerife native, who has always been "one of those girls" who would look through her books and the entire syllabus for each subject before classes started, realized that what she really wanted to dedicate herself to was medicine, a vocation that was reaffirmed when she volunteered accompanying convalescent people in the San Juan de Dios Hospital. That changed her and opened her eyes to a profession she wants to dedicate herself to fully.
Amelia González
Amelia, the volunteer with the soul of a doctor
It was quite an experience, which was further enhanced by the opportunity to spend a day in an operating room with a surgeon from the Hospitén Rambla University Hospital, a prize won in a talent competition which has been a dream come true. “If it were up to me, I would dedicate my whole life to studying everything, but what comes closest to my interests and my personality is medicine because I love studying the human body and understanding how the pieces fit together, as well as dealing with others and having to constantly update my knowledge.”.
She has always been a responsible student, a diligent girl who loves to study, and her parents and family are very proud of her, not because of the incredible grades she has achieved, but because of all the effort and constant work behind them. Despite being a gifted individual, Amelia doesn't want to miss the opportunity to say that she has to study, like everyone else. "No matter how gifted you are, if you don't study all day and put in the effort, it's useless. I even sometimes overstudy, although it's true that if I wanted to, I could study less and still get good results.".
But it's not something she does. Amelia has loved studying ever since she was in her school in San Andrés, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. And she continued to love it when she started her studies at the Hispano Británico, a "friendly, welcoming, and friendly" school where she has felt at home all these years, and where she has received instruction from teachers she loves dearly, such as Fabio, Rubén, and Eva. "They have always encouraged and supported me so that I could participate and improve in class.".
With an economist mother and an auditor father, Amelia will be the first in her family to steer clear of numbers and become a doctor. But until that moment arrives and she begins her medical studies at the University of La Laguna, she has the whole summer ahead of her to enjoy the beach in San Andrés, spend time with her grandparents, go out, attend concerts, and resume her fitness routine, in which boxing plays a significant role. “I train, but I don’t get into physical sparring; I really enjoy it because it requires coordination and concentration, and it’s a total escape.”.
Sergio, the science kid
Like his schoolmate (Amelia), Sergio Domínguez Mangas knew from the fourth year of ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) that his calling was medicine when he felt the "fascinating" call of the human body, a
Sergio Dominguez
a perfect machine about which he "wanted to know everything," its workings, its gears, and how to understand it to help improve people's lives, a fact that relegated his preference for becoming a firefighter or dedicating himself to aeronautics.
Once she knew what she wanted to do, she reached her full potential as a student at the Hispano Británico School, her lifelong school, where she had always felt comfortable. “When I made my decision, I started researching, and when I saw that the cut-off scores were so high, I needed to do my best, but it wasn't until the middle of my second year of high school that it became a firm goal; until then, I worked hard, studied, and got good grades, but without focusing on the university entrance exams.”.
Although there isn't a subject he dislikes, he confesses to feeling much more comfortable with science subjects, especially Chemistry and Biology, in which he got top marks, as in all the others. That's why he knows he'll do well in Medicine. "I suppose it will be tough at first; the first few years are a filter to see who wants to study, but I hope I like it. I know I like it, and I'm confident I'll feel good studying.".
His upcoming enrollment in this degree program simply perpetuates the family tradition. Sergio has a brother and sister who are nurses, his father is a doctor, and his mother is also a nurse. They all work at the Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria University Hospital, so telling them he wanted to dedicate himself to the healthcare field, like them, became the best news he could give them, and a reality once he achieved the required grade (13.88).
“It didn’t catch me by surprise. I expected the tests to be like this; they were at the same level as in previous years. I didn’t encounter many surprises in the other exams either,” something normal when you are used to maintaining a routine and an unwavering study discipline, to organizing yourself in such a way that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not dedicating at least three hours a day to keep up with your subjects, with the exception of Fridays, always free of study.
Sergio has not only been consistent in his studies, but also in his hobbies, such as music, reading, and swimming, which he had to put on hold in his second year of high school to focus on his studies, but which he definitely plans to resume next year. “I don’t think I’ll return to competition like before, but I would like to get back to training.”.
Gabriel, the physics lover
Gabriel Negrín
Also next year (2023/24) Gabriel Negrín Santos, a student of IES Luis Diego Cuscoy, He will be admitted to the University of La Laguna, but not to study Medicine. He will be studying Physics. His score of 13.8 is more than enough, considering that the cut-off score for his chosen degree is 11.7. “I’ve liked science and math since first grade, but not Physics, although I knew I wanted to study it several years ago.”.
Gabriel's path is very different from Amelia's and Sergio's. He didn't do particularly well in the first year of secondary school, nor in the second, nor even in the third. Up until that point, it can't be said that he studied much, but the pandemic changed everything, and when the fourth year began, he started to put in much more effort, improving himself every day, getting better grades. And he liked that.
“I admit that I didn’t get good grades in my third year of ESO (compulsory secondary education), even though online classes weren’t as demanding as in-person classes. This helped me realize that I had to work much harder than I had been doing up until then.” This drastic change in his approach to his studies is what made it possible for him to achieve a perfect 10 in his Baccalaureate and a brilliant 9.95 on the general EBAU exam.
The fact that he passed the university entrance exams with flying colors doesn't mean he considers the test he faced a few days ago to have been easy; in fact, quite the opposite. "Compared to previous years, it was more complicated, especially the Physics and Mathematics exams, which were very difficult. I got a 9.4, and I admit it was my worst performance.".
Despite his inclination towards this branch of science, Gabriel's interest in Physics is not a family trait. His mother works in public administration (Arona City Council) and his father in the hospitality sector in the south of the island. Their son's grades have been a complete surprise and a source of pride. "They are very happy because they didn't expect it, and they also didn't expect me to choose Physics, since no one in my family has ever pursued this degree; I'm the first.".
When asked how he plans to spend his summer, Gabriel replies, “Relaxing,” playing video games with friends, preparing for his C1 level English exams, and looking for a university residence for his first year at the University of La Laguna. Living in southern Tenerife, the most sensible option is to be as close as possible to his faculty so he can focus on his studies. And that's exactly what he intends to do.
Daniel, the actor who wants to be a lawyer
With the specific grade obtained (13.85 out of 14) Daniel Rodríguez, a student of IES Tegueste, He could enter the most demanding grades, reserved only for the very best, like him. And it's not that
Daniel Rodriguez
Law, the degree he has chosen, is not a demanding course, even though its cut-off score is 6.6. But this young man, who excels in both the sciences and the humanities, wants to try his luck and discover for himself what studying law is like, and if he doesn't like it or it doesn't work out, there will be time to change.
“Although I love Physics and Mathematics, I’m going to study Law at the University of La Laguna. Last year I founded the student association at my high school, and that gave me the opportunity to get involved in the world of bureaucracy and paperwork. I’ve had to look at a lot of laws and decrees, and I’ve realized that I like it. I don’t know if I’ll regret it, but I’d like to give it a try,” says this son of physicists (his mother is an astrophysicist and his father a mathematics professor) and nephew of a mathematics professor at the University of La Laguna.
In fact, her plan was always to dedicate herself to physics because she's captivated by investigating how the universe works, but she's also passionate about mathematics, the subject she excels at, and without needing much effort. “I've always done well. I finished secondary school with one of the best averages in my graduating class, and I did quite well in primary school too. The truth is, I've never needed to study that much, or with such discipline, and not for that long.”.
It must be said that Daniel is one of those people who emerges more than unscathed from everything he undertakes: he has practiced judo since he was five years old, he has also played the piano for a long time, and he is dedicated to theater, another of his most beloved hobbies that he wouldn't give up for anything in the world. “I've been acting since I was little. I go to theater classes at the Canary Islands School of Actors, where we have been rehearsing the play Lullaby, by María Lejárraga” which they performed last Friday at the Tenerife headquarters of the center.
With so many hobbies, in addition to his studies, he wants to make the most of the free time he doesn't have during the winter this summer, but not in a very structured way; he'll just go with the flow. What is certain is that, besides spending time in Tegueste with his friends and continuing to pursue his hobbies, Daniel will go on vacation with his parents and younger sister to Les Cases Noves del Cal Pardo, his mother's village, a charming rural hamlet 90 kilometers from Barcelona, where his grandparents are waiting with open arms to congratulate him on his success.
Syria Gonzalez
Syria, the future stateswoman
The maternal grandparents of Siria María González Vicente −a student of Luther King School San MiguelThose from Zamora will have to wait a little longer to congratulate their granddaughter in person, as her 9.95 score in the general phase of the EBAU will allow her to enter the Double Degree in Economics and International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid, which is why she wants to enjoy the summer with her mother and father before moving to the Spanish capital to become a university student.
With her score of 13.82, it wasn't a problem for Siria to get a place in this five-year degree program, where the cut-off score at the Madrid university is 13.10. "At the moment I'm in the pre-registration phase, but I knew I wanted to do this combination of degrees because I'm passionate about history, politics, and relations with other countries, and I would really like to work for the government, preparing for competitive exams so I can access a public body, like the institutions of the European Union.".
And she is certainly prepared to be consistent, disciplined, and achieve her goal. From a very young age, her mother has been responsible for instilling in her a disciplined study habit, and for her, being persistent with her study habits has always been perfectly normal. “I don’t see studying as a chore; I enjoy studying, and that’s why it doesn’t bother me so much. Besides, things improved in high school because I really enjoyed what I was studying.”.
Despite her good academic performance and excellent grades, Siria finished her fourth year of secondary school somewhat undecided, and it was her mother, a human resources coordinator at a hotel company, who helped and guided her until she made her decision. “I couldn’t see myself working as a scientist or an engineer, so I went for Social Sciences,” a decision that has served her well, and one that not only her family but also her teachers at Luther, the school where she has spent her entire life, are pleased with.
There, in this educational center located in the south of Tenerife, she was interested in everything, from languages to mathematics, which she came to love thanks to Jorge, the 'teacher' who made her love the subject that was not her strong point, or one of her language teachers in secondary school, thanks to whom she overcame her shyness and acquired the necessary confidence to write the story of a girl in the middle of the Spanish Civil War.
“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be in the Social Sciences track,” says Siria, as she shares her summer plans and enthusiastically mentions that one of her goals, besides doing her best in her first year of university, is to go to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest with her mother. “It’s true that we’re thinking about going; we love Eurovision and are passionate about it.” She has always learned that “to do something well, you need time, you can’t rush, and you need good planning,” the same planning skills that have propelled her to the top of the university entrance exams and the same skills that, almost certainly, will take her to the Eurovision competition in Sweden.
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