Andrew Wildes, Gleaner Writer

IN A world that measures the confidence of a young man by how proudly he can promote his own interests, how skilfully he can walk with his pants below his waist, or how many girls he can acquire in a night, 17-year-old Darren Neill Gooden is an inspiring enigma.

Anyone who glimpses Gooden, as he walks home from school with his head bowed, a huge knapsack on his back, and an enormous French dictionary in his hand, could easily guess that the boy has a 'liking' for his books; however, few would imagine that he has already been accepted to study at some of America's finest universities.

Gooden, an upper-sixth-form student at Manchester High School in Mandeville, has been awarded a full scholarship to study mathematics and computer sciences at Yale University - one of the oldest and most prestigious Ivy League universities in the United States. The scholarship, which covers tuition, board, books and personal supplies, is valued at approximately US$54,602 (J$4,804,976) per year!

That, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Gooden has also been accepted to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Wesleyan University, and the University of Chicago. He has also been put on Harvard University's waiting list.

Great opportunities

The big opportunities being offered to him are based largely upon the exceptionally high scores he has attained in all his major external examinations. For example, in his SATs - the chief exam considered by American universities - Gooden scored a whopping 2,190 out of a possible 2,400! He has also attained nine Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects and nine units of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) - all with distinctions. He is currently pursuing five units at CAPE, however the result of those exams are really inconsequential to his matriculation at Yale.

Recently, The Sunday Gleaner sat down with the young scholar at his school for a chat.

"I guess I'm a focused individual. I try to get better at what I do, on a daily basis. I am a Christian, am open-minded and open to learn and try new things," Gooden said in a bid to describe himself.

The second of two sons, he was born to Errol and Jacqueline Gooden. His father is the pastor of the Negril New Testament Church of God and his mother teaches mathematics at Edwin Allen High School. One can clearly see where he acquired his passion for mathematics.

Gooden credits his success so far to his devotion to personal development and the support of his teachers.

"I wouldn't say that I'm born more talented than others. There's nothing you can say to that. I guess over time, I've gradually improved. I have always been committed to improving and I have had really helpful teachers who challenge me by giving me extra work. When they realise that I can manage what they are giving me already, they go out of their way to challenge me, give me hard problems to solve, so, over time, it cultivates a kind of desire to improve and a standard of excellence that I hold myself to," Gooden shared.

Jamaica can rest assured that although he plans to study overseas, he has already set his mind on returning home to make his contributions.

"I want to improve the quality of education, in terms of maths. That's one way I'd hope to contribute to Jamaica," said the student who has ambitions to pursue doctoral studies in the field of mathematics.

Godly motivation

His motivation, he said, is to please God and not necessarily to gain a name for himself.

"I take my Christianity very seriously. In fact, I would say it is the major driving force of my life," said Gooden.

He went on to say: "All that I achieve, or whatever I achieve, in the end, is not just to glorify myself or to say that I'm a great person, it's really about the glory of God being revealed. Whatever I do, I try to glorify God."

What does the social life of a 17-year-old genius look like?

"Well!" Gooden exclaimed as he burst into laughter.

"That's another thing I'm hoping to cultivate at Yale," he quipped.