Teacher for a day: Jackie Sharp shares life lessons with Alpha Primary students
Published:Wednesday | May 4, 2016 | 12:00 AMAndre Poyser
Scotiabank Chief Executive Office (CEO) Jackie Sharp left the boardroom for the classroom yesterday.
In recognition of Teacher's Day, the banking executive took over the grade six classes at Alpha Primary School and received a warm reception from the students, who were eager to hear her speak.
In sharing the story of her rise to the top of the second-largest bank in Jamaica, Sharp told students that she had to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices in order to advance in her career.
"I am the first female CEO of the second-largest financial services company in Jamaica," she said to a burst of applause from the students.
"What does a CEO do?" was the first question that came from several of the students as they soaked up the knowledge that Sharp had to impart.
As they leaned in to catch every word from the soft-spoken CEO, a sense of awe was evident on their tiny faces, and for these students, no question was off limits.
What inspires you? How much money do you make? Is your job hard? Have you ever felt like giving up? Did you always want to be a CEO? Which school did you attend? Where do you see yourself in 20 years? Have you ever had to fire anyone? How do you treat your employees? What inspires you? They wanted to know everything about the tiny-framed woman that stood before them.
Sharp was equal to the task as she graciously answered all the questions and engaged the students in frank discussions about success and life in the corporate world.