‘A dream come true’

David Salmon dreamt of becoming a Rhodes Scholar since he was 15 years old. He remembers being in the audience when 2015 Rhodes Scholar Tariq Parker visited his alma mater, Wolmer’s Boys’ School, and gave an inspirational address.

“I looked up to him from then and said I wanted to be like this person in the future,” he said.

But Salmon did not just dream. He worked hard.

With the support of his parents, he created a meticulous plan that would enable him to achieve his goal. He did “very targeted” research into past Rhodes Scholars to learn of their journey so that he could emulate them. He ensured he excelled academically and has steadily built himself a career in public service, a trait he said he inherited from his grandfather who was a correctional officer for more than 30 years.

His diligence culminated in ultimate success on Thursday. After a rigorous interview process, Salmon was chosen as the 2023 Rhodes Scholar from a cohort of 11 candidates.

“To be the next Rhodes Scholar from my school, it is a dream come true. It just feels like this opportunity will allow me to go on to really contribute and do what I want to do, which is to give back to Jamaica,” he said, basking in the glory.

Salmon, a former Gleaner reporter and columnist who in 2019 won the Press Association of Jamaica Morris Cargill Award for Opinion Journalism, said he faced a lot of bullying growing up because of his “desire to learn”.

But that did not deter him. Rather, it fuelled his desire to remain focused on the wall in his room where he wrote the words: ‘I Am Jamaican Rhodes Scholar’.

“My objective was always to be the best that I could be, work towards the best,” he said.

The 22-year-old is the founder of the New Jamaica Foundation, an organisation geared towards promoting youth development. In 2019, he was awarded the Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Nation Building, for his work to relaunch the Jamaica Prefects’ Association. He has served as Surrey county coordinator for the National Youth Parliament of Jamaica in 2020, and as its prime minister.

In 2021, he received the Governor General’s Achievement Award for St Andrew for his academic performance and community involvement, and he has served as the Regulations and Certification Committee chairman of the Early Childhood Commission board. In this position, he successfully advocated for the declaration of the Year of Early Childhood Development, which was made by a proclamation by the governor general in January 2022.

He recently attained a bachelor’s degree in public policy and management from The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, and was the sole male valedictorian in the graduating class. While at The UWI, he was awarded for his academic performance and involvement in extra-curricular activities.

Salmon is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, after obtaining the His Royal Highness Prince of Wales Scholarship.

He will take up the scholarship at Oxford University to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in international development.

“I believe, not only as a citizen of Jamaica but as a citizen of the world, I have an obligation to help other developing countries, including Jamaica, to have a fighting chance in this world. It’s all geared towards ensuring that I have the skill sets and the tools to contribute internationally,” he said.

Salmon said his study will focus on sustainable development, specifically agricultural financing, a sector he believes is integral to the development of any country. He shared that he was inspired to venture into this field of study after visiting Tanzania and Rwanda and conducting interviews with stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

While Salmon was doing interviews for the scholarship, his mother, Donnahae Rhoden-Salmon, sat waiting for him, confident that her son could become the next Rhodes Scholar. She shared that, while in high school, he was awarded ‘Most Likely to become a Rhodes Scholar’.

“I am absolutely elated. I am just so thankful to God. I am so happy. It has been a journey; it’s beyond words,” she said.

The Rhodes Scholarship is awarded to young leaders from around the world.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com