Soaring to great heights from humble beginnings
Published:Wednesday | July 13, 2016 | 12:00 AMRuddy Mathison
KITSON TOWN, St Catherine:
Renardo Wint is a source of inspiration to his community. Come next January, he will be moving on to study economics and accounting at the University of London, having been granted a four-year scholarship.
Raised by a single mother, who provided for her family of seven by doing house work in the predominantly low-income rural community of Kitson Town, St Catherine, the former Jamaica College student has been declared to have achieved the greatest feat to come out of the community in modern times.
Born in 1977, Wint graduated from St Jago High School with eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects - six distinctions and two credits - and went on to complete upper sixth form at Jamaica College.
STRUGGLES
Recounting some of the struggles he experienced, he said, "I was raised poor, I know my mother was struggling to send me to school, but my desire to complete upper six was great."
"I chose JC because I was aware of the old boy London scholarship programme and all I had to do was work hard," declared Wint, who completed sixth form with the fifth highest average and five unit one Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination subjects, including pure mathematics, accounting and economics.
The young man told Rural Xpress that he was granted the scholarship based on his overall performance throughout the year.
"I am the second to last in the family, and I am the first in the family to reach this far," he shared.
"I watched my father divorce my mother when I was only six; did not have the support of a male figure; my mother had to raise all seven of us by doing domestic work and a little higglering."
Wint stressed that he is determined to stay focus on what is important and continue working hard, knowing that the sky is the limited.
Janice Yates, Wint's former guidance counsellor at Kitson Town Primary School, said she sees the emerging of the future.
"I see a child who is coming out of much struggles and is surging ahead with determination. I also see a child whom I had to go to his house to speak to his mother about frequent absences ... and look where he is now," she stated.