Help! - Distraught student seeks assistance to fund medical school
Published:Saturday | August 31, 2019 | 12:00 AMCecelia Campbell-Livingston/Gleaner Writer
Eighteen-year-old past student of Glenmuir High School Chavonae Hayles is hoping that the next two weeks will see her receive the miracle she so desperately needs.
Accepted by The University of the West Indies’ medical school, she has another few days to come up with US$28,000 to begin the journey.
Hayles, who left Glenmuir High School with 11 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination subjects, with distinctions in all areas, was hoping for one of the coveted government scholarships. However, that did not materialise.
The teen is now reaching out in the hope that good Samaritans will assist her to pursue her dream.
Hayles admits to feeling “distressed and distraught, sad and useless”.
“I feel like my years of studying and sacrificing food and social activities were in vain. How do I encourage my younger sister, who will start high school next week? It’s a deep, sad, bad, horrible feeling. I know I will make my country proud one day if given the chance to realise this dream,” she said, pouring her heart out to The Gleaner.
Hayles has had to overcome a lot of challenges, including her short-sightedness, which she said was not fully corrected by the lens she wore. It made studying that much more difficult, but it did not stop her from pressing on.
Her own struggle with her eyes is now the catalyst for her wanting to become an ophthalmologist so she can one day aid students who suffer from eye defects.
“I look to the day when I can contribute in a meaningful way to helping other children suffering from eye problems to see better and excel in their endeavours,” she said.
But for now, it is a pipe dream unless she can come up with the fees to begin her studies.
Hayles has not given up hope. An ardent Christian who attends Longville Park Church of God, she is looking forward to receiving assistance.
Hayles, who is used to challenges, said that when she found out that she was myopic, it became a driving force for her kindling a passion to learn more about the captivating mechanics of the body.
Hayles can be contacted at 876-866-0477.