Junior attorney Sarah Bailey gives back

MAY PEN, Clarendon:

Sarah Bailey has only been an associate practising with attorneys-at-law at Scott Bhoorasingh & Bonnick in May Pen for just over two months, and already she is making her own little waves in a big way.

She has made it her priority to assist budding entrepreneur Javia Uilett with the finances and other things necessary for him to complete his secondary education. A former Jamaica College (JC) student, Javia, who is now studying business at Glenmuir High School, said he lived with his father in Mona, St Andrew, while he attended JC.

"Things changed for the worse when my father passed away while I was in second form at JC, and that caused me to move back to Clarendon to live with my mother," he explained, adding that he still attended JC for another year after his father died. "That burden became too heavy for my mother, who was unemployed, so I transferred to Glenmuir High and began classes in September."

Hearing of his plight, Bailey said she felt compelled to assist in a tangible and meaningful way, which for her meant sponsoring Javia. "I have heard the testimonials of persons who have received assistance to attend school, some of whom I have known and associated with while I was at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and how it helped them to move forward with their educational pursuits," she told

Rural Xpress.

"I rank giving back as one of my highest priorities because I attended the UWI on a partial scholarship which I achieved through volunteering in my community. I was even more insistent on helping Javia because helping others was something that I've seen my father doing for years. He was always giving back and always ensuring that persons who aren't as financially well off move forward and achieve their goals, plus this is also fulfilling for me in its own way," the young attorney highlighted.

"I am grateful for the assistance and it makes me feel good because it motivates me to work harder to achieve the goals that I've set for myself. From the bottom of my heart I'm saying thanks for this much-needed assistance and I can assure you that going forward there will be some output towards helping others whenever and wherever I can," Javia assured Bailey during the interview with Rural Xpress, having met each other for the first time.

rural@gleanerjm.com