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Making grandma proud

Young high-achiever inspired by grandmother to pursue her dreams

Published:Monday | October 23, 2023 | 12:05 AM
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High achiever Nadahlia Coleman accepts her certificate from Access Financial Services Chief Executive Officer Hugh Campbell at the company’s PEP awards ceremony this year. Named Top PEP Performer by the company, Nadahlia also received a trophy and a cash
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High achiever Nadahlia Coleman accepts her certificate from Access Financial Services Chief Executive Officer Hugh Campbell at the company’s PEP awards ceremony this year. Named Top PEP Performer by the company, Nadahlia also received a trophy and a cash grant towards high school tuition.
Bright smiles from Access Financial Services Top PEP performer Nadahlia Coleman (left) and her proud mother Carla Samms Coleman. The 12-year-old seventh grade student at Mount Alvernia High School, who was also named a Top Achiever at Corinaldi Avenue Prim
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Bright smiles from Access Financial Services Top PEP performer Nadahlia Coleman (left) and her proud mother Carla Samms Coleman. The 12-year-old seventh grade student at Mount Alvernia High School, who was also named a Top Achiever at Corinaldi Avenue Primary School, won a grant from the company towards tuition.
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If 12-year-old Nadahlia Coleman follows her plan, in the next 10 years, she will be in medical school pursuing a path to becoming a neurosurgeon.

And, if her tenacity and track record of success are anything to go by, her family is confident she will make it.

The seventh-grade student at Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay is intent on achieving her dream, a goal that was inspired by her late grandmother Diana Shields, who passed away in December last year.

“My grandma had brain cancer and had to have brain surgery three times. They were all successful, but unfortunately the cancer had spread. It made me want to help her. It made me want to help other people who have brain diseases and injuries. As a neurosurgeon, I will be able to do a lot for people like my grandmother,” asserted Nadahlia.

That willingness to help and the desire to support family didn’t happen by chance. Nadahlia’s mother, Carla Samms Coleman, carefully inculcated these values within her high-achieving daughter.

“I didn’t have the kind of support that I would have wanted when I was a child growing up, so some of the goals that I had, I couldn’t pursue. When I started having children, I decided that I would make sure that my children had everything that they need. So, when Nadahlia is studying, I am studying. I will be supportive no matter what her goal is. I stay on top of what’s happening with her in school. For PEP, I was right there every step of the way,” said Samms Coleman.

All the hard work mother and daughter put in delivered great results from the Primary Exit Profile Exams this year, which earned Nadahlia a place at her school of choice, and with a score of more than 300, an award for top-achiever at Corinaldi Avenue Primary School.

“We were so very proud of Nadahlia’s performance. Apart from recognition at her school, she was also named by my employer, Access Financial Services, as the Top PEP Performer for 2023. In addition to a trophy, Access gave her a grant which went towards tuition,” said Samms Coleman, who has worked as a personal loans officer at the microfinance entity for more than a decade.

A career in medicine

Nadahlia’s academic goals are also driven by a love of science and mathematics, which will no doubt fuel her dreams of one day pursuing a career in medicine. Outside of schoolwork, Nadahlia is already involved in the students’ council, and is eager to get involved in extracurricular activities that reflect her interests. “All the clubs have not started up at school yet. When they do, I will definitely be signing up for the science club and for Girl Guides. I’m not much of a sports person, but I do like to sing and dance,” she added.

Beyond her achievements so far, the young scholar has a reputation for being a helpful and caring big sister to her two-year-old brother.

“My son has autism and Nadahlia has been so loving. It was a transition period for our family, and through it all, she has really proven to be such a wonderful sister. I could not ask for a better daughter,” said a beaming Samms Coleman.