She was never the most popular or the most privileged, but she always prided herself as well trained and grounded by the teachings of her parents, who ensured that she and her siblings had a firm foundation of strong values and morals.
It is no wonder why Isha Nation, Miss Manchester Festival Queen, is so passionate about adding value to lives and making sure that she does what she can with what she has.
“Growing up, I was taught to be loving, kind, and respectful. I grew up in a community called Maidstone, and those who know me will tell you that I always promote my community as the first free village in the parish of Manchester,” Nation said.
“My mother always instilled a positive attitude and attributes in all seven of us. It was never a boring time growing up with a sister being my best friend,” she added.
The ‘dance a yaad, before you dance abroad’ proverb was etched in her brain from as early as her cognitive abilities were intact, and Nation said it still drives the decisions she makes and what she chooses to participate in.
“I was never a popular student in school because I conformed to the rules, and now, I can appreciate my teachers and my mother for grooming me into the woman I am today. I come from a trying family that worked hard to achieve what we have and what we want.
Of the things she enjoys – writing, singing, making crazy funny videos that she never makes public, and understanding how things work – the festival queen said giving is what feeds her soul.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, my team and I registered a non-profit foundation called LINNK Innovation Foundation. The aim of our foundation is to assist underserved youth. However, with the pandemic present and students home, we were challenged to create a new initiative until the time has passed. We’ve created an initiative called ‘Click for Charity’, where we are using the digital platforms, specifically YouTube, to raise funds for those in need.”
Nation learnt to sew at a tender age and is now using her talent to make masks for sale and for donation.
“As the year progresses, we aspire to properly launch LINNK Innovation Foundation and assist persons throughout this crisis and after this crisis has passed. My plans for the future is to play my part to advance the lives of our people. If we don’t care for each other, who will?
“There’s a saying that goes ‘change starts from the heart’, and if all Jamaican want change, then we need to unite, get up, stand up, and create the change that we all yearn for. Let us use the platforms available to us to help our fellow brothers and sisters and be able to create a world to live, work, raise families, and do business,” said Nation.