TWENTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD Montegonian Dr Nicole Nation graduated from The University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2016 with her MBBS degree (honours), becoming the first degree holder in her family. However, Nation would be the first to admit that her journey to get to that point wasn’t always smooth sailing. As a matter of fact, it was a big decision that required an immense amount of faith and personal determination.

“To dedicate five years of one’s life to focusing on studying is quite an undertaking. I would not have been able to complete my journey without the love and support of my family and well-wishers,” Nation said.

One of four daughters for her parents, Nation encountered many financial challenges throughout university as her father, who has been a security officer for over two decades, was unable to foot the tuition for her schooling and so this prompted Nicole to excel in her academic studies in order to qualify for scholarships.

“I have been on scholarships since high school. I can honestly say that I have been the beneficiary of close to a dozen scholarships — Montego Bay Co-op Credit Union, NCB Foundation, Sandals Foundation, PALAS Foundation, CSJP, and the list goes on. Once there was a scholarship accepting applications, I would fill out the form.”

And this is something that Nation preaches today — that excellence in academics and extra-curricular activities in order to qualify for financial educational assistance is the key to securing tertiary education if you cannot afford it, even if you qualify for Government assistance.

Nation was selected as one of the Government’s 2016 Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) youth ambassadors.

“My family was on PATH. I am proud to be an ambassador for PATH because I want to prove to the beneficiaries on the PATH programme that they really can do anything that they put their minds to because I am living proof of this. There are so many PATH beneficiaries who are degree holders today and I am proud to be one of them,” she shared.

Her mother, who suffers from a mental illness, was also an integral part of Nation’s drive to succeed.

For years, her mother’s mental illness plagued the family and could have been a potential stumbling block for Nation and her siblings.

“It was while on rotation at a health centre that I met Dr Marcia Johnson-Campbell and she was able to assist me in getting my mother the help she needed. Today she is on her medication; however, it was not always like this. My family and I, we had some really dark days because of my mother’s illness. However, my father stayed with us and this was integral to keeping the family unit together. Today she is okay and we are grateful.”

As such, mental health is another preaching point for Nation as she has seen up close up what mental illness can do to families if not kept in check.

Another challenge that Nation, a Mount Alvernia High graduate, had to confront for most of her life, is an eye condition called keratoconus, which essentially means that the cornea is ill-shaped.

“So far, I have been through five or so pairs of glasses since the age of 10, and each subsequent one gets thicker and thicker. Having this condition meant that sometimes I could not stare into a computer screen for long periods of time or I had to sit at the front of the class in order to see. It’s something I battle with every day, but it’s my hope to one day have cornea replacements,” she said.

In 2015 Nation was selected as one of two Jamaicans to receive the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Award. This saw Nation collecting an award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her work on disability awareness.

While a student at UWI, Nation had founded ‘Volunteer Nation’, which was a student-led organisation dedicated to raising awareness about disabilities in Jamaica.

“I can recall when I was younger, an ophthalmologist telling me that I was legally blind in one eye and for me that was devastating news. As it relates to disability awareness and rights, Jamaica is not quite there yet and so I wanted to do my small part in helping us to get there.”

Now Nation, who hails from the inner-city community of Hendon, Norwood, is on a thrust to get more youth to pursue tertiary level education through the launch of her book, You is for University.

“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for education, moreso tertiary education. I have met different people, travelled to three continents. What I expect from my life today is so much more because I pursued my education. So many of society’s problems would be solved if our people were to tap into the unlimited potential of education.”

Set for early release in January 2017, Nation has teamed up with Latoya Blackwood-West, founder of iPublish Consultancy and iMagiNation, to bring the book to reality.

“The sole purpose of the book is to get more youth, especially disadvantaged youth in Jamaica, in the Caribbean, and even worldwide, to actively pursue their education and not to limit their options in life. No doubt challenges will be there, but it’s up to you to have the conviction to see it through to the end. This is coming from someone who has been there and done that,” Nation said.