Alex Lawson: Musical genius towers above adversity

Alex Lawson, the 19 year-old, six foot six inches alumnus of Wolmer's Boys' School has consistently demonstrated a commitment to the principle of excellence. Alex has been a high achiever since his early years in high school, despite his difficult upbringing in the community of Woodford Park, Allman Town in South East St Andrew.

This was coupled with the passing of his father at the tender age of six. However, after seeing how determined his mother was to send both himself and his brother to school, he refused to acquiesce to failure.

"My mommy, seeing her work extremely hard just to make ends meet, and to put me through school is my driving force," he said.

"I want to ensure that when I become an adult, I live a life more comfortable and my family will not have to endure anymore hardships," Alex added.

In addition, one of the greatest challenges in high school that he had to endure was not having all the resources he needed to achieve his goals. This challenge was particularly debilitating when it came to exams. Yet, he managed to pass all his subjects at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

He overcame these challenges by making use of the resources that were available to him. These experiences further taught him life lessons he still uses to this day.

"I am stronger than I thought. I was able to assume more roles of responsibility," he said.

He did not allow circumstances to undermine his passion for music. He describes his unlikely introduction to this subject:

"I was sitting in front of my desktop bored and I saw ...Daniel Barenboim playing the piano. I was immediately transfixed and wanted to be like him and that was when I fell in love with music."

Alex subscribes to the saying that: "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

"When I am stressed, music relaxes me to the point where I do not think about any of the matters that I have to deal with. It takes me to a place where I am at peace," he related.

He recounted how after teaching himself the piano, he successfully gained a silver and bronze medal for his first performance at the JCDC Festival of Arts at the age of 15.

This prodigious performance served as a prelude for his achievement at the World Championship of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles in the summer of 2016. At 17 years old, he represented Jamaica and placed second in the world.

"This was really shocking to me as I didn't even think I'd pass the preliminary round of the competition," he related.

His eventual niche came in the form of the viola under the tutelage of instructors such as Darren Young, Peter Ashbourne and Paulette Bellamy. Additionally, he currently serves as the appointed principal violist in The National Youth Orchestra of Jamaica, a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica and as a member of the prestigious Immaculate Symphony Orchestra.

He actively uses these valuable experiences to contribute to nation building.

"Music has given me the opportunity to learn how to give back to the community, via teaching younger aspiring musicians as well as sharing music to those who wouldn't normally get the chance to hear it, for example the mentally ill and residents of nursing homes," he said.

Experience served as his teacher and it further equipped him to cope with an even greater personal challenge that risked derailing his entire academic future. Shortly after graduation from Wolmer's, his mother had a stroke. He had to postpone his dreams and decline the New York University Abu Dhabi Scholarship in order to take care of his mother. Yet he took care of her without complaining.

"She is the only parent I had and being the oldest, I had to do what I had to do. She did not want me to fall behind in my studies because she was ill. Even in her sickness, she had confidence in me and that pushed me to work even harder."

This hard work also enabled him to continue his studies at The University of the West Indies despite the growing mountain of challenges that kept multiplying. Throughout his challenges, Carlette Falloon continued to support him sourcing the necessary resources needed for his studies. He encourages students in need to, "Ask for help, never be too proud to say you need help."

His hard work also contributed to Alex winning the first Douglas Orane Scholarship associated with the CB UWI 5K. His determination and discipline mirrors that of the elder Wolmerian and scholarship's chief patron, Orane, who is pleased with the recipient's character.

Alex is currently pursuing a degree in physical therapy and married his desire to help people and his love for music. His ultimate passion is to be a music or sports therapist.

He expressed his passion for physiotherapy when he saw how they greatly improved his grandmother's quality of life after she had a stroke and broke her leg. She also contributed to laying a foundation of honesty and responsibility for the young man to follow.

Alex advises other students who want to achieve the same level of success to:

"Work hard, put your all in everything that you do. Do not watch what the competition does, did or is doing, focus on your goals and stay true to yourself."