Standout youth driven to fulfil dreams of Norwood

The experience of being classed as a scammer is fuelling Sujae Boswell’s drive to remove a scar that has marred his home town in St James, infamous for the deadly lottery scam.

Hailing from the gritty community of Hendon, Norwood, Boswell is a standout example of a diamond in the rough.

Boswell last Saturday shook the hands of Andrew Holness and collected the Prime Minister’s Youth Award in recognition of his wide-ranging work in leadership.

Boswell, who recently represented Jamaica at the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers Meeting in The Bahamas and at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, said he is determined to continue the push for excellence.

The first Jamaican elected to the Commonwealth Youth Council executive, a body that gives voice to youth, Boswell is reading for a master of science in international public and development management at The University of the West Indies.

He told The Gleaner that much of his motivation comes from the reality of his home community, where many youth get left behind, unable to fulfil their dreams because of financial and social handicaps.

“The people in my community of Hendon, Norwood, who had dreams ... I feel like in many ways, I owe it to them to go as far I can go,” said Bowsell.

The university student recalled an occasion where he tried to change a cheque and was branded a scammer because of his notorious address. Now he is on a mission to show that good people also come from his community, nestled just outside the Second City of Montego Bay.

“I was classed as a scammer, so for me, more than anything, I want to be a testament that good people and changemakers do come from my community. There are a lot more persons doing great things, and I want to be in a position where I can magnify their work,” said Boswell.