From back of the class to PhD
Published:Monday | August 21, 2023 | 5:23 PMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
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WHILE ATTENDING preparatory school, Kevin Smith would often sit at the back of the classroom and was deemed disruptive by his teachers. But what his teachers did not know at that time was that Smith was diagnosed with attention-deficit...
WHILE ATTENDING preparatory school, Kevin Smith would often sit at the back of the classroom and was deemed disruptive by his teachers.
But what his teachers did not know at that time was that Smith was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental condition that manifests in difficulty in paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours or being overly active.
Up to age eight, Smith said he was unable to read, and this stunted developmental progress was compounded by the fact that he also had a stutter.
“The stutter definitely affected my ability to connect with people and talk to people,” he said in a Gleaner interview.
It was his mother who first noticed that her son needed special attention and, after having him diagnosed with ADHD also, got him the help he needed which started with speech therapy, and ensuring his seating position in the classroom changed.
During this period, Smith was also introduced to the imaginary world of books, and he not only learned to read, but developed a love for reading that he still fosters.
“I went and I read the Harry Potter book that was like the first book I really loved, and then I went and I bought all the other books when they came out and I watched all the movies, and then after the experience, that was what really got me into reading. So I read Hardy Boys, I read Lord of the Rings, I read basically anything I could get my hands on after that,” he said.
Mom fought fiercely
His academic improvement saw him matriculating to Wolmer’s Boys’ School.
But while in fifth form at the institution and choosing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects, Smith was only recommended to do four subjects.
It was his mother, he said, who fiercely objected and ensured he got a better chance. Her insistence that her son be allowed to pursue at least five subjects at the institution saw him enrolling in a human and social biology class, and he also took extra lessons in English and English literature, mathematics and chemistry.
In the end, he managed to do all five subjects, and even won the prize for top performer in human and social biology.
The next phase of his academic journey saw him entering The University of the West Indies, where he pursued an undergrad in economics.
“My plan after completing my undergrad in economics at UWI was to head straight into the workforce. But then certain people told me ‘don’t do that because undergrad in econ is not strong enough to get a good job. You need to go further’,” he said.
He took the advice and pursued a master’s degree in economics, but during his first year, he failed two courses and had to spend an extra semester there doing over those courses.
In retrospect, however, Smith said he was happy about that obstacle as it allowed him to do something that his ADHD and stutter had hindered him from doing as a child.
“I got a chance to meet a lot of people and know a bunch of people all over the US, all over the world, and it reinforced the fact that I could do this,” he said.
A year in China
After completing his master’s in 2015, Smith spent a year in China teaching English and immersing himself in the culture and language he had studied and appreciated.
But pushed by father to attain the highest academic qualifications, Smith said he had ensured to make preparations for his doctorate before travelling to China. It was while there that he received news that he has been accepted to Lehigh University in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania to pursue his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in economics.
This was in 2016, and five years later while nearing the end of his final hurdle to the stop, he lost the man who had inspired him to go that far.
His father, who had had underlying health issues, died from COVID-19, and Smith, who grew up in Queensborough in Kingston, said he was devastated.
“It was really a trial by fire … the only way I was really able to survive it at that time is that I got a chance to really connect with my family and my friends. And when I told my advisers about what was happening, he was very gracious,” he said.
“He gave me the time that I needed on the work that I had. I was given a lot of leeway by my adviser and by the entire team at my college and that really helped,” Smith added.
The now 32-year-old Smith works as an assistant lecturer at Beloit University in Wisconsin US after successfully defending his PhD last July.
And while he said he did not allow his disorder to define what he became, he acknowledged that this was only possible through the support he received from his family.
“People need support, you need to have a strong support network of people who will not only support you financially, which is important, but also support you emotionally,” he said.