Aspiring architect Marshall Stoneham believes his drive for success comes from having a strong family background.“I grew up in a single-parent home, which is something you hear about a lot when you see kids doing things that they shouldn’t be doing,” the 18-year-old said. “But perseverance is something that really pays off. When you’re a kid and you do something wrong, your parents discipline you for it.“That’s your foundation, that sets your standards for life. I have had it drilled into me to be myself and do what I should.”Marshall graduated from the Berkeley Institute in June, having achieved the top grade point average for boys in his year 3.52.He earned the school’s Appleby Scholarship, which will help pay his tuition at Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology this autumn.The Southampton resident is the recipient of a $4,000 merit award scholarship from the Massachusetts school; he has also received a third scholarship, which will be officially announced later this month.“Go for it,” is Marshall’s advice to students.“Applying for scholarships can be tedious. Every scholarship asks for its own specific things, and it’s disappointing to get turned down, but that’s no reason to quit.”The teenager, who lives with his mother Pinky and brother Andrew, works six days a week.He is described by Berkeley principal Michelle Simmons as “extremely confident and focused on his goals”.“Marshall has been involved in so many aspects of school life that it’s hard to list them all,” she said. “He was involved in the Bermuda School Shakespeare Festival, the Butterfield Student Challenge and KPMG Investment Club. He represented the school in volleyball and even found time to earn his bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards.”He works as an intern for Butterworth Group of Architects two days a week. He spends the time doing research for various projects, studying design software, inspecting building sites and taking care of office tasks.“Just being there and seeing what goes on is really instructional,” he said.Marshall is also a merchandiser at Lindo’s Family Foods in Warwick. “My summer is work, work, work,” he said. “A lot of kids spend the summer partying. There’s nothing wrong with fun and friends, but trying to be the king or queen of popularity isn’t the most important thing either.”He starts the five-year journey at Wentworth to qualify for his dream job next month. It begins with a bachelor’s degree in science and architecture, followed by a master’s.Although today’s architects are more inclined to use Google Sketch than a pencil and paper, a love of drawing first attracted him to the work, Marshall said.“As a kid I was always scribbling and over time I got more and more interested in architecture. Turning that scribbling into actually drawing, designing and making something really appeals to me. Architecture seemed perfect.”The teenager initially thought he would have to pursue his career overseas. His internship has shown him there are opportunities for him here.“A few years back it didn’t seem like there was much land left to build on in Bermuda, but working at the firm has changed my mind. We don’t have skyscrapers going up, but there’s still construction going on, and there are a lot of people renovating and redesigning their homes.”Reflecting on his time at Berkeley, Marshall draws a lesson from his experiences on the school’s volleyball team.“For me, that was the high point of last year,” he said. “Even though we only won the last game of the season, we still had fun. If it’s a competition, of course you want to win. But I also think, no matter if you win or lose, it’s all about the experience.”As a speaker for Berkeley’s prize giving ceremony, Marshall exhorted his peers: “The proud, hardworking, committed and successful young Bermudian male is still very much in existence, and one is standing before you today.”He added: “The road to being an honours student isn’t as clear as one would think. It’s a long dirt road, and there are sharp turns, bumpy roads, construction, stoplights that take five minutes to change, and people that drive at three miles an hour. And that’s on a good day.“The important thing is to be patient and to remember your destination. You must never let the sights and distractions along the way make you stray from your course. Sometimes when you get on that hot new bike, it is easy to get caught up in just enjoying the ride, and you forget where you were originally going. I can honestly say that I have always remained very focused on my journey and I do not let complacency and distractions blur my vision.”Useful websites: www.wit.edu, www.bermudascholarships.com, www.bdacareers.bm.