Tishawa Gallimore Delivers on Promise to Excel after Sponsorship
Published:Sunday | September 20, 2015 | 12:00 AM
Tishawa Gallimore was determined to attend university. This is why when she completed sixth form at Merl Grove High School, she wasted no time in applying for sponsorship and sending out letters to corporate entities.
Through the efforts of the managing director of one of the companies she wrote to, she was provided with funding to defray expenses while at university.
With this assistance and the awarding of the Jamaica Government Exhibition Scholarship, Gallimore was able to fulfil her dream of attending the University of the West Indies to read for a degree in actuarial science.
That was back in 2012. Today, Gallimore can boast that she has made good on her word to live up to the expectations of those who invested in her. When she graduates in November, Gallimore will walk away with a first-class honours degree.
"There is always a way, even if the road does not seem clear ... the hardest part is starting, going out there and getting the help ... when you make up your mind about what you want, then you just go for it ... you have to be willing to accept help, so I applied for all the scholarships, sent out letters to different companies ... I tried everything," she told The Gleaner recently.
Before she secured the assistance and scholarship, Gallimore was not sure she would have been able to fulfil her dream.
"The darkest moment I faced was not knowing if I would get the funds to come to university because I knew that I had the grades ... but the only problem was getting the funds. Student Loan (Bureau), I had a problem with my guarantors, so that was not a surety, so it was a good thing that I applied for so many (sponsorships) and sent out the letters."
She confessed that she faced numerous challenges along the way but was determined to overcome them.
"It was a difficult journey, tremendously difficult, but I pulled through, defeated all odds, and I am here today with the degree, so I am proud of myself," she said.