J'can students land record scholarships

Titchfield, Hampton, St Mary High girls impress US universities

BY VERNON DAVIDSON Executive Editor - publications davidsonv@jamaicaobserver.com

Monday, July 04, 2011

THE first thing that strikes you in a discussion with Chazelle Rhoden and Pheona Williams is just how intelligent they are. You next notice that their eyes sparkle and their voices become excited when the conversation moves to mixing academics with extra-curricular activities.

You get to understand why when you learn from their tutor, Dr Dennis Minott, that it is that "dogged roundness craved by the world's best universities" that won these two young ladies from rural Jamaica highly valued scholarships from two of the top tertiary institutions in the United States.

In fact, according Minott, founder of university access programme A-QuEST, 18-year-old Rhoden from Titchfield High School in Port Antonio, Portland is one of two recipients of the largest ever non-military scholarships in Jamaica and the Caribbean. The other is Ashlee Reynolds of Hampton High School in Malvern, St Elizabeth.

The value of their scholarships?

A whopping $21 million each.

Rhoden is scheduled to leave the island next month for Wesleyan University, while Reynolds has chosen to attend Stanford University.

Nineteen-year-old Williams, who spent her sixth form years at St Mary High School after attending Marymount High for five years, chose Mount Holyoke College.

The value of her scholarship is nothing to sneeze at either — $18 million.

Minott takes care to point out that while the young ladies are bright, academics was not the only deciding factor in their achievements.

"They are truly awesome in terms of their stunning array of extra-curriculars, leadership, creativity and public spiritedness, as well as their in-school academics," Minott said. "What the universities want to ensure is that when you leave you will make a meaningful impact on the world."

The young ladies, he explained, "packaged themselves mercilessly for their college applications and, as a result, bagged outright acceptances and consistently generous financial aid to a slew of America's most selective schools, including Mount Holyoke, Stanford, Princeton, Macalester, Tufts, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Cornell and Emory".

According to Minott, the process to equip the students with the skill to write excellent essays as part of their university application is intense.

"One of my associates, Harvey Miller, who went to Yale, is extremely analytical and very creative and knows how to write," said Minott.

"These young people will sometimes write an essay — and I do not exaggerate — 12 times," he said, explaining that Miller, who was A-QuEST's most outstanding student eight years ago and who is now teaching essay skills at A-QuEST, demands good writing.

Rhoden and Williams agreed, then told the Observer what they wrote about that so impressed these top-flight universities.

"I wrote from the heart," said Rhoden. "I used my essay to lift myself. I compared myself to a river. I made them know that I can do my work and I have all this bunch of extra-curricular activities. I wanted them to know me as a person. I wanted them to know what I could offer to campus life."

The Titchfield High head girl said she also included thoughts on the environment and poverty, two of the issues about which she is very passionate.

Williams explained that her essay was about her being "every woman", encompassing the wide range of activities in which she is engaged.

In an effort to emphasise the importance of the essays, Minott pointed out that finding students with the highest academic scores at A-QuEST was not difficult.

"What sets them apart is that capacity to not only speak from the heart, but to persuade a person to enter into who I am and to say I need to have that person on campus," he said.

One of the striking similarities between Rhoden and Williams is that they are from humble homes.

Rhoden lives in Boundbrook, Port Antonio with her mom, Shirley Johnson, a cooking gas dealer. Williams lives in Annotto Bay, St Mary with her mother, Paulette Steele, who is a community health aid worker.

Both are full of praises for their mothers who, they said, made big sacrifices in order that they could go to school.

"I think when you come from humble beginnings you work harder," Williams said, adding that the first time she saw what her mother was paid, she was "amazed at how many things she does with that".

Rhoden nodded in agreement. "I don't go without anything," she said, "and sometimes I even turn out with what is better than others. Ask me how, I have no idea."

The compliment moved her mother -- who had accompanied both young women and Minott to the Observer -- to explain how she managed to school her daughter.

"I put myself behind. I don't shop for myself, just the basics," said Johnson, who added that she also saved through the traditional 'Partner' scheme, a largely informal arrangement that allows members to benefit from pooled funds.

She recalled that last year "when things got really, really hard" she cut her hair and nails to save on grooming costs. "I just put certain things aside because I said I have to do it, because I didn't want her to miss out on what I missed."

Johnson was obviously ecstatic when she got the news of her daughter's scholarship, even more so on learning of its record value.

Williams said her mother "was overjoyed into silence. She didn't know what to say, and when I told her 'Thank you, mommy', she cried".

At the moment, both young ladies are not quite settled on a career. Williams, though, is sure that she doesn't want to study medicine or law, like most Jamaican students. She's toying with the idea of becoming an engineer or maybe even a journalist. "One of my fantasies is to be a correspondent in a war," she said.

Rhoden said she may study environmental science, international relations and some languages, but admitted that she may change her mind next month.

"I want to do a lot of stuff. I want to be an entrepreneur," she said, adding that she intends to get into agriculture with what she labelled a revolutionary project. She declined, however, to be specific "because I don't want anybody to steal my idea".

"There may be other children who may think that they cannot do this, but anybody can do it," she said. "It's hard, yes, but you just have to be determined and focussed and know just what you want."

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COMMENTS (16)

Duque Molton
7/4/2011

Amazing story..I do think we have alot of children in Jamaica who is capable of this too, but needs the push. Again, no father was mentioned...Maybe if mine was around I would not become the man I am today, so I don't sit and worry about him being absent in my life...

C Bernard
7/4/2011

I cannot say for the other young lady in the story, however I would like to clarify that Chazelle lost her dad when she was 10 years old. So he did not choose not be a part of her life, he is no longer here and her mom did what she needed to. While he was alive he was very much a part of her upbringing.

Shorna Watson
7/4/2011

You go girls !! I am flatout proud of you both, we need to hear some success stories about our boys as well. We need them to be successful as well in order to secure good men and fathers in our society in the future. Thank you moms your efforts are begining to payoff.

Vera Fuselier
7/4/2011

I am so proud of both of you keep up the good works and continue to lift up Jamaica.

Aeis Green
7/4/2011

Nice to see Dr. Minott still positively influencing the lives of others. The girls might be absent their biological fathers but in Dr. Minott they have a surrogate.

Elli Deedo
7/4/2011

I'am very proud of these students as a responsible father. Surprisingly there is no mention of their fathers, only their mothers. After reading this article, we have to ask the questions again; why the Government have failed to create a programme to assist parents who are not in a position to assist their children financially?. We would have seen a lot more of our talented children, if government had placed more emphasis in education. Nothing have been done to enhance the future of our youths.

Newton Grey
7/4/2011

Fathers are absent from all great leaders.
Check your history.
Jeusus had no father, Obama had no father.
Not comparing Jesus to Obama.
Great man and woman had no fathers.
It is best to kick out the father after the child is born and raise them to greatness.
Fathers are distractions.
Good on the moms and the girls worked hard has they were loved and cared for without any interference from the father.

Trevor Dawes
7/4/2011

A very wonderful story and a sign that all is not lost for Jamaica. They represent Jamaica's future and I wish them all the very best.

ric bent
7/4/2011

Respect to both mothers and daughters! Great personal sacrifice and a shining example to other young mothers. Once again, no mention of father, obviously not around to lend support. All the universities mentioned are top notch, which tremendous resources , places where middle -class US kids are all dying to get into.Sadly, the author feeds into the urban/rural school silliness, as if the expectations should be any less for students outside of the corporate area.

ellis lynford
7/4/2011

It's always refreshing to read success stories such as the one being discussed. And it's even more refreshing to see that this paper has detoured from its customary route, which underscores the lifestyles of the brilliant lads @ Campion, & instead, zeroed in on these less fancied institutions....Oh, Brown & Christians, through their posts, have shown signs which would suggest that society's bid to demonize fathers has landed on fecund soils.... Pity the author had not mentioned the dads' inputs.

Anancy Bedward
7/4/2011

Nuff big-ups to these girls, their parents, Dr Minott and his support staff. I may be wrong and those with the facts can correct me but Jamaica must the only majority-black country with the most students ( on a per capita basis) in the US college and university system. It's a pity most of them can't return to JA due to lack of opportunity there.

Devon T
7/4/2011

I applaud these girls... as someone who hails from St Mary i feel like she is my lil sister. Well done and yeah i am proud. That said, I would like to use this medium to say that at a recent Graduation Ceremony at Papine High School another Girl CHRISTINA RODNEY seems to be excelling at EVERYTHING. she already have 5 CXC under her belt and waiting results for another 7. With one of the highest averages in Jamaica.... Remember the Name...

Anthony II
7/4/2011

Well done, young ladies; I am sure that you will excel at whatever majors you choose (one of the good things about the US system: you can spend some time figuring out exactly what you want to do). And rural JA has many outstanding institutions.
.
Jay B: You have to forgive those idiots who see something wrong with "country school", like that idiot at this year's Penn Relays who responded, "Oh, country school", when I told him what HS I attended. We are so concerned about division in JA.

John Christian
7/4/2011

Always the Mothers who make the sacrifices for their children to succeed at great personal cost....sadly the dads are no where in sight...thank you ladies for your sacrfice...and to the writer of this article....for gods sake(and i am not a believer) stop using the expression..."from humble beginnings) everyone is from humble beginnings....start using"as a result of carefull parenting"...lets change this type of refrence.

Jay Brown
7/4/2011

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful performance by these guys from what Jamaicans call "country school", again demonstrating that if you work hard you can achieve great things.
Thanks to the mothers who made personal sacrifices to assist their daughters .
Fathers found wanting again, as there is no mentioned of the men here.
We need to step up to the plate guys.

Jakan 2011
7/4/2011

After all that, just don't come back to Jamaica with A'Level standard degrees. With all that money go to the top -a Phd, so the beginning won't matter

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J'can students land record scholarships