Bitten by biz bug, whiz turns down 10 scholarship suitors for UWI
Published:Friday | June 4, 2021 | 12:11 AMNadine Wilson-Harris/Staff Reporter
Shari Webb had wanted to become a dentist all her life. But after cutting her teeth at several money-making initiatives, including the selling of accessorised crocs and, later, making jewellery, the then-15-year-old entrepreneur was bitten by the business bug.
Three years later, the 18-year-old Ardenne High student’s biggest problem was making a pick from the 10 universities that offered her scholarships to study business.
But in the end, Webb turned down Howard University in the United States and Nova Scotia University in Canada, among others, for The University of the West Indies, Mona, one of the 12 schools to which she had applied.
She will be reading for a degree in business management.
Scholarships don’t always cover all the attendant costs of migration and residency - a consideration that partly influenced her decision.
But Webb has also stayed home to focus on her dream of achieving agent certification and launching out in the local real estate industry.
“I not only want to just sell houses, I actually want to, like, build them, do developments, sell them, do renovations, and all of that,” said Webb, whose father taught her and her sisters do-it-yourself repairs around the house.
The love for entrepreneurship spurred her desire to become her own boss as she watched her crocs and jewellery business grow.
“I used the power of social media, so I had an Instagram page and everything, and I reached out to other people who wanted the products and they ordered, and then I would deliver,” she told The Gleaner.
Webb also scored ones in eight subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level and four ones in Unit One of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations.
Webb is looking forward to sitting her CAPE Unit Two subjects in a few weeks.
MANY RESPONSIBILITIES
Beyond focusing on her studies, she also had to navigate being head girl during the coronavirus pandemic.
Although she was not interacting with students physically, she still had a lot of responsibilities.
Along with other head prefects, Webb used the time to make videos showcasing Ardenne.
Webb credited her two older sisters, who both attended Ardenne, for contributing to her own success.
“At first, we were a little apprehensive because we were like, well, everyone is at home, but we created new roles for ourselves along with our traditional roles, you know, supervising the prefect body, ensuring that the students are in their class,” she said of her time as head girl.
She’s no bookworm, though.
The teenager played netball and swam competitively for Ardenne. She also introduced badminton to her schoolmates and captained the team.
As she prepares for tertiary studies, Webb intends to apply the principles her parents taught her that have contributed to her being well rounded and focused.
“My father has always said to me to do what needs to be done first, so I think it is very important ... to be very organised and to manage your time properly as well as to prioritise,” Webb said.