CAPE President's Medal winner (sciences) Teddy Mohammed Jnr wants to give back to TT by helping pupils less fortunate than himself, he told Newsday on December 5, minutes after his award was announced by the Ministry of Education.

He is currently studying medicine at the University of the West Indies, Mt Hope.

He vowed to help pupils at his Hillview College alma mater in accessing vision testing and eyeglasses and said he wished to help two needy pupils access learning resources.

Asked how he felt to get the news, Mohammed said, "Currently, I think I am still in a lot of shock.

"But I'm proud of myself.

"I am proud of all the other scholarship winners. I think everyone who works that hard deserves their recognition and their accolades.

"For me, I just tried my best, I tried to be consistent. I still think it was unexpected, nonetheless.

"I think every scholarship winner who received the news today deserved it.

"They put in a lot of hard work and dedication and I'm extremely proud of myself and others."

Mohammed is the son of Teddy Mohammed, a bookstore owner and publisher.

Newsday asked what's next.

"In the short term, as I have been given this avenue, I have been conceptualising for a while - myself in partnership with Mohammed's Book Store Ltd - I would like to take this opportunity now to announce my commitment to now supporting the educational journey of one male and one female student from a school with access to limited academic resources.

"Under this initiative, I want to provide funding for their schooling from form one to five, and if they choose to go up to CAPE, then I will provide that as well."

Mohammed explained his charitable plans against the backdrop of himself never facing problems accessing resources.

"But they do not have the resources necessary to fulfil their full academic potential. I think that is such a necessity, whether it is access to the internet, access to textbooks.

"Yes, I will give myself credit in that I utilised the resources I had available at my disposal, but that being said, some people do not have these resources to utilise.

"I have been conceptualising this for a while and now that I have been given this avenue, I want to use it and hopefully accelerate things. So for next year, I should have this initiative fully set up."

He also hoped to help pupils of Hillview College with their eyesight, as he profusely thanked the school for his success via the school's Edward Eye Foundation.

"This foundation will be able to provide comprehensive eye exams and also the procurement of glasses for students with a visual impairment. That is something I want to do in the short term."

Otherwise, Mohammed said he was focused on staying consistent in his medical studies.

Newsday asked what he credits for his success.

"Most definitely my family, who have been extremely supportive. My sister has been my rock.

"My father is an excellent role model. I saw how he has operated, always working hard, making sure we are provided for."

He hai