Reporter
carisa.lee@cnc3.co.tt
Two years ago, when Christian Chandree left the Four Roads, Tamana community and enrolled in the Military-Led Academic Training Programme (MiLAT), it wasn’t due to bad behaviour or because someone or the State forced him to. It was quite the opposite; the 19-year-old registered in the programme to advance himself.
“On the tenth of October 2022 was the day I began training, and what encouraged my decision was that I was home, I was away from schooling, and I was just doing what most people at home would do, just trying to make a living, I would hustle, I was out there with no subjects,” Chandree explained.
The trajectory of Chandree’s life changed in the last two years, as he was one of the 85 MiLAT cadets to sit this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination and one of 43 to gain five or more passes. Narrowing that statistic even more, he was one of seven cadets to pass all his subjects.
“Myself, along with everyone else, we wrote six CXC subjects. I thankfully obtained all six, two grade ones and four grade twos,” he shared.
According to MiLAT, located at the Old Teachers’ Training College, Mausica Road, the results showed that compared to 2023, there was tremendous improvement in eight subject areas. Those subjects include Human and Social Biology, Mathematics, Physical Education, Principles of Business, Social Studies, Electronic Document Preparation Management, and English.
Chandree, who was part of cohort 2021, said although he was determined to succeed at the academy, his teachers also pushed him.
“The teachers and the Defence Force staff still put in a lot of work with me. They showed me that not because you know something, that means you perfected it,” he said.
Chandree praised them for leaving their families every day to ensure the success of MiLAT students. He said they were more to the cadets than just professors; they were more like “father figures.”
He described the bond he built with his peers as the guiding light when the darkness slipped in.
“While you there and you go through difficult times with these brothers or batch, as we say, it just strengthens us, and there is simply no way or no one word to describe it, but I would just like to say truly amazing,” he added.
Chandree confidently added that such treatment can only be found at the academy. The cadet now plans on joining the protective service.
For now, he remains on cloud nine, especially about the smile he was able to put on his mother’s face.
“My mom and my family are very proud of me, my mom has some health issues, and seeing that smile on her face as she gets good news constantly makes me feel a sense of accomplishment as a young man in this society,” he said.
Chandree also warned other young men that their indiscretions today could come back to affect them tomorrow. He added that while everyone wants to have nice things, they must work for it.
He encouraged the nation’s young people to pray, have faith, and believe in God when things get tough.