MONTEGO BAY, St James — With strong core values and an ambition to excel, it is no surprise that Montegonian youth Cedric Campbell has recently successfully completed his two-year tenure at the Norman Manley Law School (NMLS) and is now waiting to be called to the Jamaican Bar Association.

This success for 27-year-old Campbell, who grew up in the volatile community of Granville in St James, did not come easy, but through his refusal to fail or give up on his dreams of one day making his family proud.

That dream is now a reality as the young man’s family is beaming with pride. Even though he was faced with many difficulties throughout his journey, Campbell stuck to his plan and executed it well.

“There were a lot of hardships along the way because my parents’ house was destroyed by fire, which ultimately placed the family in a tough spot where finances were concerned,” Campbell told the Jamaica Observer West.

He continued, “So becoming a lawyer gives me the avenue and potential to earn more and help the family. Also having their only son become an attorney is very exciting for them both. I know that mommy cried, but I think that daddy cried as well. The whole family is super proud.”

Residents of the Granville community are said to have also joined in to celebrate the success of the Cornwall College past student who pursued his tertiary education at the University of Technology, Jamaica (Utech). While Campbell understands the magnitude of his achievement, he noted that it is the support he has received since recently making the NMLS pass list that has highlighted how big of a goal this was.

“People from Granville have reached out to me on Facebook saying that they are not surprised and that they really love what they are seeing. They even said that it was motivational for them,” he said.

“It has been heartwarming, and sometimes we don’t recognise what we do until we see the reaction of others. I think seeing others and how they responded to my achievement have been very motivating, which also encourages me to push further. So many people have reached out to congratulate me…my niece even said that now more than ever she wants to become a lawyer,” Campbell added.

He continued, “That is something that really means a lot to me. It made me feel very accomplished to know that I could have that impact on someone who I really wanted to have a positive impact on.”

For Campbell, pursuing a tertiary education wasn’t a bed of roses as his family was unable to foot the tuition. However, the young man, who started his education at the Cartagena Basic School in Granville, said this was not enough to deter him as he was determined to pursue a better life than what he was introduced to while being raised in the low-income community.

He told the Observer West that having taken out student loans to pursue his law degree at Utech, it was through a loan from a generous family member and a scholarship from NMLS that he was able to finance the last two years of his education.

On top of the financial constraints Campbell faced, he, unfortunately, failed the entrance exam for law school on his first attempt. Disappointed but not discouraged, the young man would go on to work harder, but as luck would have it, NMLS changed their entrance requirement amid the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I chose to study at Utech because of the finances. However, one issue is that with Utech you don’t automatically get into Norman Manley Law School, you have to do an entrance exam, Campbell explained.

“I had to go through that process and I was trying to figure out expenses. I did the entrance exam once and I didn’t pass, so I decided to pivot and tried to study in different ways. But while studying we were told that they will be using the class of degree to decide on acceptance, so I didn’t have to do the exam again and luckily, having earned a honours degree, I received a placement at the law school,” the proud Montegonian said.

Campbell in his journey made many sacrifices, but he still maintained a level of excellence.

“I was also a full-time employee and a full-time student. Based on what the results would show, I was excelling in both areas because I was recently promoted to a supervisory role at work and I was also nominated for employee of the quarter,” he told the Observer West while explaining that he now holds a contract analyst position at a Kingston-based auditing firm.

Now, as Campbell patiently waits to be called to the Bar, the young man from Granville is looking towards a brighter future with a humble heart as he dreams of making his mark in the world of corporate law.

His message to other youngsters is simple.

“Remain humble and resilient. Use where you come from as a motivation because that is what I did. Every time I would have met up on a roadblock, I reminded myself that I am from the ghetto…I am used to hardship and this is another thing that I know I can overcome. That motivation will propel you to reach your goals and achieve what you set your mind to,” Campbell said.