Tamoy Campbell blooms ‘wildly, unapologetically’

“Bloom wildly, unapologetically and always add your razzle-dazzle.”

That’s the mantra that 22-year-old Tamoy Campbell, a graduate of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, lives by and the past three years were a testament to that as she took bold steps and achieved excellence in her pursuits.

The Wolmer’s High School for Girls alumna knew from an early age that she wanted to study law, but from the outset financing was the biggest hurdle she had to overcome.

“Unfortunately a lot of people think that when you decide to study law it means that you have the US$10,000 put down each year, but I didn’t. I come from humble beginnings. My mother recently had to go back to school to ensure that she could secure a better job and my dad does anything from a pin to an anchor,” she told The Gleaner.

Campbell chose the route of the Students’ Loan Bureau, which covered about 70 per cent of the tuition, and hoped for scholarships to cover the balance as she began her three-year tenure.

“I didn’t always have lunch money. I knew my parents didn’t have all the money I needed, so it was incumbent on me to be the most marketable and well-positioned student there is, so that donors wanted to give me their money,” she said.

The law firm, Myers, Fletcher & Gordon awarded her a scholarship twice and she was fortunate to intern there last summer, an experience she described as a “full circle moment”.

Campbell also received grants from UWI’s Office of Student Financing and bursaries by virtue of her mother being a public sector employee.

She recalled that in her final semester, she genuinely did not know where she would source the balance of her tuition, but she told God that he had carried her thus far and depended on Him to see her through.

“With a lot of prayer and advocacy on my behalf, a grant which came through the Toronto and South Florida chapters of the Wolmer’s Old Girls Association came to my rescue and paid the lump size portion of the balance. I was able to do all my exams and my degree was awarded timely,” the graduate said.

At The UWI, Campbell struck a delicate balance between academics and leadership roles, as she wanted to be as involved a student like she did in high school.

She was the Faculty of Law representative on The UWI Guild, president of the Mona Law Society, UWI STAT (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) Vice Chancellor ambassador, special projects coordinator for The UWI Debating and Public Speaking Society, and a member of The UWI Mona Model United Nations club, just to name a few.

For three consecutive years, she represented The UWI at the Harvard National Model United Nations Competition and in February 2022, she copped the highest award, best delegate.

“I’ve left UWI with more than a degree. I have left with so much leadership experience under my belt. I ticked off so many little boxes and achieved so many things that I didn’t imagine I would pursue,” she said, as she reflected on the journey which led to her earning a Bachelor of Law degree with upper second-class honours.

Campbell, who is also the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Miss Kingston and St Andrew Festival Queen 2021, enrolled at the Norman Manley Law School in September and is determined to secure her Legal Education Certificate, despite continued financial challenges.

She told The Gleaner that her mother borrowed a loan to pay the first semester’s tuition, but payment for next semester hangs in the balance.

Yet, the law graduate remains steadfast and harbours dreams of working in an international organisation like the United Nations or the International Court of Justice.

Her advice to students: “Don’t come to UWI and leave the same way you entered. Give yourself the fighting chance to be bold, try new things and be a person you can be proud of. Dedicate time to building your soft and hard skills and bag your degree.”

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com