TWENTY-four-year-old Tishauna Mullings gives true meaning to the saying that it is not how one starts a race but how one runs it.

From a shy, country girl suffering from low self-esteem, this St Thomas resident has blossomed into a social activist and a passionate philanthropist. What changed her life’s course was the simple determination that she no longer wanted to be an ordinary girl; she was tired of only being able to watch while fellow students walked proudly to the podium at graduation ceremonies to be bestowed with various awards. Mullings knew she needed to aim higher.

“I just decided I didn’t want to be ordinary anymore,” said the young woman who was valedictorian when she graduated from Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in 2012.

Since making that decision, Mullings has gone to the podium time and time again, to receive awards not only for academics, but also for social work to develop the youth in her parish.

Today, Mullings is the reigning National Farm Queen, founder of NexxStepp Personal Development Services and Inspirational Products, vice-president of the Parish Youth Committee, and president of the Rotaract Club of St Thomas. She is also the recipient of the inaugural Butch Stewart Community Award in the young achievers category, a 2013 Nominee for the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in Youth Work, and an ambassador of the Governor General’s I Believe Initiative.

Some of her many other accolades include being first runner-up in the St Thomas Festival Queen 2013 competition, being awarded for stalwart contribution to the growth and development of the Behavioural Science Department at NCU, winning the NCU 2012 Entrepreneurial Competition, being declared NCU’s Most Outstanding Academic Club President 2012, as well as its Most Outstanding Community Student for the school year 2009/2010, and receiving highest honours of the institution Dean’s List 2009, 2010 and 2012.

A motivational speaker, Mullings has been invited to speak at numerous events. Her proudest such moment was being guest speaker at the College of Humanities’ Inauguration just two years after graduating from the institution.

And although she has achieved so much, there’s no slowing down on the horizon for Mullings.

“I just feel a sense of responsibility. It is easy to look at social issues and pass them by, but I always remind myself of what is my purpose,” she told the Jamaica Observer North East.

“As a Christian, the great commission doesn’t just see it as saying ‘Jesus Loves You’ but being able to impact someone’s life positively”.

Mullings traced her life’s journey to those early days when she suffered from low self-esteem, partly because of late puberty. The Morant Bay High school graduate said her awakening began after forging a close relationship with her guidance counsellor while attending sixth form at St Hugh’s High. This saw her becoming actively involved in peer counselling.

But it was her participation in life coach training which ultimately changed her life as, Mullings said for the first time she was able to figure out what her purpose was in life and that, she said, is to work with youth.

She undertook under-graduate studies in psychology and business administration at NCU and this is where she got her first taste of community involvement. A Christian since age 10, Mullings said she immediately became involved in various ministries which saw her going into prisons, geriatric and children’s homes and several schools.

“The minute I got to NCU I found out all the things I could get involved in and then the leadership roles just kept coming,” she told the Observer North East.

On completing her undergrad studies, Mullings returned to St Thomas to start her business, which had its genesis

as a class assignment and which later won the university’s entrepreneur-ship competition.

A year later, the NexxStepp Learning Centre is helping to shape the minds of the many young people for whom it caters.

“It is all about helping people to get to the next step of advancement,” she explained.

NexxStepp offers services such as GSAT study partner programmes, CXC classes, speech writing, sign language classes, private and professional tutoring, personal and professional development seminars for churches, schools, businesses, and life purpose coaching.

“We are currently building our line of products, including inspirational posters, educational books and articles, inspirational T-shirts, etc,” Mullings said.

Her latest initiative is the Little Genius Competition, an annual programme geared at inculcating confidence and positive values into children.

Each school entering is asked to present two students ranging from age eight to 11. The winner is crowned based on critical thinking, public speaking and talent.

“What motivates me to do this competition is the same low self-esteem challenges I suffered from and I want to motivate kids from an early age so they are not affected by this,” she said.

Mullings, who recently received a scholarship for the College of Agriculture Science and Education where she will be pursuing a Masters in Education, has expressed the desire to launch out into the area of policy as she wants to be able to make an even more meaningful impact on the lives of the nation’s youth.