Romarie Bartley’s dream of becoming a surgeon is in limbo, as the 2020 to 2021 head boy of St George’s College is being hit by heartbreaking financial challenges.

Bartley, 19, the national council president for the Anglican Youth Fellowship of the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, was raised by his aunt in Greater Portmore, St Catherine, after his mother died when he was just three years old.

“My father has not been involved in my life since birth and my mother has been deceased for almost 16 years of my life. I was raised by one of my aunts, her sister, and her immediate family along with my eldest brother. My aunt and the rest of my family have supported all my educational goals and pursuits as best as they can. However, since the pandemic, that has been significantly more difficult as most of the money is being put towards keeping the family alive and well,” Bartley informed the Jamaica Observer.

“My family has always supported my dreams and cheered me on to acknowledge that underneath dreams lie their price tag, but it is not, nor should it be a determinant in the size of my dream,” he added.

At the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level, Bartley acquired 10 subjects, with grade one in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, information technology, technical drawing and English language, and grade two in English literature, French and visual arts.

At the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level, Bartley continued his academic excellence with 10 subjects — art & design, biology, chemistry, communication studies, Caribbean studies and physics — across units one and two.

Bartley also tutored younger students at school in subjects and volunteered at a primary school in the area. At church, he holds several positions including producing the live stream each Sunday in light of the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

“I completed high school this year in July after sitting my final year of CAPE and graduating amidst the global pandemic. In high school, I was dedicated to my work which caught the attention of a few teachers, and ultimately, I received scholarships from the St George’s Old Boys’ Association,” Bartley told the Sunday Observer.

Bartley said his plan was to secure a scholarship to study medicine but that hasn’t materialised.

“Initially, I wanted to study medicine in either Jamaica or the UK, but due to financial constraints, even if I was accepted to study medicine at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, I would still provide a tremendously large burden on my family due to the tuition, or be chained to years of paying back for student loans. Both options were rather expensive as such my focus is on Cuba as it allows me to study relatively close to home and still at a lower cost,” he explained.

Now, he has his fingers crossed that he will be able to generate US$13,590 by November 26 to study in Cuba.

“I have approximately US$260 from a few supportive family members and from a portion of my pay from both my formal job as well as my freelance work as a graphic designer. Only two people in my household of six have a formal job or two. As such, I had to search for one as well to help. I recently got a job, thanks be to God, which allows me to help to fill in the gap and keep my family afloat, and to save a portion to constantly put towards school,” said Bartley.

“My family was never financially fortunate. However, God has blessed us to be able to continue living as we place one foot before the other. I thought it was challenging when I was younger, but when the pandemic struck it impacted one of the two breadwinners of my family. My aunt was an auxiliary worker at both my primary school and church. However, since the pandemic, my primary school has hardly provided for her ­— as students are currently encouraged to stay home for online learning so the classrooms were seldom used.”

Further, Bartley has made an appeal to Jamaicans, as he asks for donations to help him realise his dream.

“I am reaching out to you today to let you know who I am and my current circumstance for which I would love your assistance. Growing up, I always had a love for the sciences and the arts. However, the arts acted as a place of relaxation and a source of clarity where sciences constantly piqued my interest. I dream to help people using my skills and knowledge which is one of the reasons I want to become a surgeon. It’s a mix of my skills and interests to help others.

“I am reaching out to you for any assistance possible in finding the funding to continue my tertiary education. After becoming a surgeon, I want to also help other students who would like to study but are restricted by financial constraints. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide for me in finding scholarships or grants.”

Anyone willing to assist Bartley can do so by sending donations to the following bank account:

Romarie Bartley

National Commerical Bank

Portmore Branch

Account number: 36-4763360