KYMANI Seymour spent her formative years intending to pursue a career in medicine. Her plans changed following a trip to the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) for an Open Day exposition as a sixth-form student at Vere Technical High School.

The visit left the then teenager captivated by the prospect of life at sea.

“Life at sea seemed different yet exciting, especially when I got a chance to experience the simulation of a bridge room. In that room, I had fun trying to dock the ship alongside the pier,” Kymani recalled.

“It was a tedious task, which required a lot of practise and precision, but appeared very real. I also learnt to tie knots and before the day ended, the decision was made; I wanted to spend the rest of my life on the high seas,” she added.

When Kymani returned to school, she did the necessary research and before the end of her final year in sixth form, she had applied to CMI and was later accepted.

While thrilled by her acceptance, Kymani knew she would not be able to attend unless she received a scholarship. She had lost her father a few years before and her mother — the sole breadwinner in the family — could not raise the $350,000 needed to cover the tuition.

However, Kymani — head girl and president of the mentorship club at the time — was undaunted.

“I remained positive and confident that things would work out for the good as that is one thing I used to preach in our mentorship club. I knew that where, there is a will there is a way,” the self-assured student said.

Kymani was encouraged by her guidance counsellor to apply to Jamalco for one of the community scholarships they award to students who are unable to find the tuition fee.

“I applied the same day and was very pleased when I got the call from Jamalco that I received a scholarship. I just couldn’t contain myself, I started crying on the phone,” she said.

During her first year, Kymani distinguished herself by becoming the only female of the 10 people selected to be an instructor for the 2011-12 academic year. To qualify for the instructor course, students must undergo a rigorous testing.

At the beginning of the course, 35 students — including four females — started a two-month seafaring course during the summer. The training involved training drills, survival techniques, time management, team management, and culture and gender issues.

“Each morning, we were awakened at 5:00. We had to do a one and a half mile run and this was followed by an obstacle course and personal administration. Between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, we had regular classes,” she noted.

The evenings were no less hectic as physical training and water parade dominated the activities, which ended at midnight.

“For the water parade, we had to drink at least 1.5 litres of water each night and if the trainer was dissatisfied with our performance during the day, the training was repeated during water parade,” Kymani noted.

Learning responsibility was also a major part of the training. For the first week, the students were each given a building block, which they had to carry wherever they went and had to treat it like a baby.

“If it was left carelessly and was lost or stolen we would then be given two blocks to care for,” Kymani recalled chuckling.

Although the training demanded a lot of discipline, determination and was physically distressing, Kymani remained focused and pushed on.

“I kept telling myself that I can do it and because I wanted to do well, I pressed on,” she said.

Kymani added that it is an experience she will always treasure.

“This training, coupled with the responsibilities I had in high school, helped me to mature. My confidence was also boosted and best of all, I was among the instructors selected to train the new students,” she said, clearly pleased at having had that opportunity.

As if that was not enough, Kymani was selected to address the new recruits on topics which include culture and gender issues and the roles and responsibilities of a cadet.

Today, the 20-year-old is a second-year student training to be an officer in charge of Navigational Watch. In early December, Kymani departed the island aboard the CFS Panavera Container ship for six months of work experience. Her travels will take her to three other countries — Venezuela, Curacoa and Aruba.

“I am quite excited about the prospects — meeting new people, seeing other countries and, of course, the new challenges as everyday offers something different,” Kymani said ahead of leaving.

As an officer in training, she will work eight hours every day and will be exposed to concepts, such as meteorology, steering operations, ships engineering and stability, celestial navigation, and bridgemanship.

Asked why she is so fascinated by life at sea, she responded: “the unpredictability of it all”.

“Everyday offers new experiences and you have to take them as they come. Additionally, I’ll get a chance to see different parts of our beautiful planet,” Kymani said.

“The job of an officer at sea may not be as glamorous as being a doctor, lawyer, an airline pilot or a high-flying businessman, but people are intrigued about the work we do and they always ask questions about it,” she said.

Another thing that intrigues her is that as the officer of the watch, she will have full responsibility for a big ship — a machine that can weigh as much as 120,000 tonnes.

“I am also excited about those split second decisions that are often required for an officer to make,” Kymani said.

Although this is something she fell in love on her first encounter, she was quick to point out that life at sea isn’t for everyone.

“This was evident from our first day of training; not everyone has the guts and nerve required for such a job,” she said.

The fact that people are required to spend months away at a time from family and loved ones and the solitude has turned many people away from it. But for Kymani the rewards far outweigh the price.

“I look forward to the many adventures and having a good time while working very hard. There is no doubt it will be hard work and sometimes lonely. But as with everything, I’ll have to make the best of it. It will only be as good or as bad as I make it,” she said.

Meanwhile, at the end of her six months of training, Kymani will be ready to embark on the final leg of her education before sitting the Maritime Authority of Jamaica examination. If all goes well, she will receive a license to operate as an officer in charge of Navigational Watch.

For Kymani, the sky is the limit and she plans to work through all the departments to learn the whole shipboard operation, so as to prepare herself for the job of captain and then that of pilot.

“To work at sea is to be a true professional and I would recommend it to anyone who is up to the challenge,” she said.