Former Queen’s College student, Candace Barnes, has proven that “excellence is not a skill, it’s an attitude.”  The 23 year old honor student, and cellular and molecular biology major, recently graduated  Summa Cum Laude from Hampton University with an impressive 4.0 GPA.

In 2010, Candace was one of the top performers of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in Guyana when she gained 14 Grade Ones and one Grade Two.  In 2012, she moved to the USA to attend Hampton  University in Virginia.

Candace, who is the daughter of Justice Dawn Gregory Barnes, plans to pursue a career in medicine.  Here’s her Graduation Profile, as reported by the Daily Press.

Candace Barnes traveled quite a bit to make Hampton University, as the institution’s slogan goes, her “home by the sea.” The Georgetown, Guyana, native made the 2,300-mile distance work over the last four years, and graduated Sunday morning from Hamption University with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Barnes is quiet but confident as she talks about her time at Hampton, during which she maintained a 4.01 GPA.

“Achieving the grades that I did, I attribute that partially to my upbringing in the educational system in Guyana,” Barnes said. “I think that that was very important in preparing me for Hampton and being able to achieve those high grades. And I think I’m also happy that I was able to move into a new society in a completely different culture and, you know, make a name for myself.”