‘Turning setbacks into comebacks’

Primary education teacher Richie-Ann Newman’s story of how her childhood was stifled by abject poverty moved listeners to tears on Wednesday. So bad were the circumstances that she recalled having salt water for tea, as it was all her mother could afford for her and 11 siblings.

According to Newman, she struggled throughout primary and high schools, but a ray of hope flickered when she was granted a scholarship by bauxite company Jamalco to further her education.

She was speaking at the company’s Education Assistance Awards Ceremony at the Wembley Centre of Excellence in Hayes, Clarendon, earlier this week, where 80 students from Clarendon and Manchester were granted scholarships totalling J$14 million. Five new scholarships were launched at the ceremony by Jamalco’s managing partner, Century Aluminum. This will see five students receiving scholarships worth $350,000 each annually.

Newman was one of three former recipients who lauded Jamalco for making a stellar contribution to their success.

“Going through primary and high school, life was hard. I remember wearing my white blouse until the arm was torn, and the blouse turned cream, my white crep turned chocolate brown, because I wash it every night and had no means to dry it, so you know before I start my journey to school, the shoes turn brown or red,” said Newman.

“There were days when mommy could only find oil and sweet potato, dumpling and butter, salt water for tea, because there wasn’t any sugar and sometimes a drink of water and love for dinner, but I couldn’t give up,” she said.

Citing the struggles of having to make use of people’s “wear an’ leff” uniforms throughout school, Newman said sometimes she thought her dream of attending college was audacious.

Nevertheless, she pressed on and remains grateful to Jamalco for changing her life.

Saving grace

Similar sentiments were shared by new recipient, Marsha-Ann Miller, who is set to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Miller’s voice waned as she spoke about her father’s reluctance to support her academic pursuits after high school.

Miller’s woes were compounded by being evicted by her father, then subsequently losing her family home to a fire.

When it seemed all hope was lost and her tertiary education was hanging in the balance, she said, then came her saving grace – Jamalco.

“Receiving this scholarship represents an important step towards my dream, and turning my setbacks into comebacks,” said Miller.

Jamalco has pledged to continue supporting the students throughout their tenure in high school, college or university, once they maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.

Jamalco’s manager of corporate services, Donna Marie Brooks, said amid the setbacks, including a fire that gutted the facility in 2021, she was proud the company was still making able to continue helping students in Clarendon and Manchester to fulfil their dreams.

“Later this month, another 200 students attending basic, primary, and high schools will receive books and back-to-school grants,” Brooks added.

Positing that the company was serious about its corporate social responsibility, Managing Director Austin Mooney said the scholarship programme was geared at empowering future leaders.

“Through this scholarship programme, we are committed to breaking down barriers and opening doors that lead to success. I stand here today not only as a managing director of Jamalco, but also as a testament to the power of education. I understand first-hand the transformative impact it can have on one’s life. Education instils knowledge, cultivates critical thinking, and nurtures the potential within each of us,” said Mooney.

“Our commitment to the Education Assistance Programme underscores our corporate social responsibility, reminding us that building better lives goes hand in hand with creating stronger communities,” said Gauti Hoskuldsson, vice-president of global operations at Century Aluminum.

Guest speaker Dr Taneisha Ingleton, managing director of the HEART/NSTA Trust, charged the recipients to rise above their circumstances.

“I remember as a student at Glenmuir, I, too, was hungry, had challenges, and had to travel from all the way in Fairburn to May Pen on those big buses, and as a student, you had to stand. I went through all of that and I’m proud to say, regardless of that poverty, with focus, determination, and never forgetting my values, I am where I am today,” said Ingleton.

She also implored the recipients to pay it forward and be ambassadors of change.

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com