It is often said that life in the jungle is a constant struggle for the survival of the fittest, but 20-year-old Chad Raheem Lorne makes it look flatteringly easy.

Lorne, born and raised on Love Street in Arnett Gardens, better known as Concrete Jungle, Kingston 12, has taken Mona High School by storm.

The inner-city youngster has held over 10 leadership positions at Mona, and despite the passing of his mother Donna White, who battled breast cancer while he was in fifth form, he still excelled at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) level.

His reason to push forward and conquer stereotypes stems from the fact that he knows where he is from, where he wants to go, and how to get there.

“I am from a community where youths are given less than adequate opportunities and are fed on a constant diet of hopelessness. It all started at the basic school level where the foundation of teaching began. After which, I moved on to Jones Town Primary where I was prefect for both grades five and six,” Lorne told the Jamaica Observer in an interview.

“My passion is in politics where I am always interested in finding means of moving our country forward as a legislator or Member of Parliament. Representation is always within me and I think being in different leadership positions at school is preparing me for the greater task ahead — which is to represent the people of Jamaica,” he continued.

After Jones Town Primary, he moved on to Calabar Primary and Junior High where he served as head boy.

“It didn’t stop there… I left from there and started attending the great Mona High School, one of the greatest educational institutions in Jamaica,” he said, noting that he served as president for various clubs including ISCF (Inter-School Christian Fellowship), Interact Club and the school’s choir.

At this point of the interview, Lorne didn’t hold back when speaking about his experience at Mona, boasting that the institution contributed significantly to his personal growth and development.

“I am currently the students’ council president where I sit on the school board echoing the voice of the students in ensuring a safe, orderly and conducive environment for teaching and learning. When I first started Mona High School, I wasn’t so settled, but realising the importance of education saw me improving academically. I was even top achiever in various subject areas,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“I also did extra lessons with persons who needed the extra help in CXC (Caribbean Examination Council) office administration, English language and religious education. During that time of helping in these areas, I was also preparing for exams, which saw me having to study from 10 in the nights up until two in the early morning.”

The youngster bagged religious education, office administration, biology, English language and electronic document preparation and management (EDPM) with passing grades.

Come September, he will be tackling communication studies, business administration and biology at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Unit One level.

He will add environmental sciences to the mix for CAPE Unit Two.

The long hours, hard work and dedication, Lorne said, paid off big time.

“With the grace of God, I was successful. I started out high school as monitor, went up the ranks as form captain, students’ council representative, students’ council public relations officer, students’ council secretary, junior prefect and now students’ council president,” he said, noting that he is also on the executive body for Region One’s National Secondary Students.

He pointed to his parents as a source of never-ending support and motivation.

“My mother and father with the inclusion of my relatives would ensure that I lack nothing both at home and at school, no matter how small or big it is.”

And so, when his mother passed, it was like he was paralysed.

“I had a major challenge in fifth form struggling to get over the death of my mother. May her perfect soul rest in peace. With the encouragement and support of friends and family I was able to pull through. It was a difficult one learning that she had stage four breast cancer. At times when I would see her in pain, I would break down in tears until that day the Lord decided to take her home,” he recalled.

“It’s a good feeling not being a stereotype. It tells me that I know what I want out of life and where I am aiming. Not because I am from the ghetto means that I should produce the fruits of a ghetto youth. I made my mother a promise before she died, and that’s what I am working on.”

He added: “I just want to highlight these two teachers; Mrs Wilkins and Miss Lovelace who stood beside me no matter what came my way, and were always there to support me. I love you both… continue changing and modelling lives.”

Now, after secondary education, he plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“I love finding ways and means to help people, no matter what it may be. I believe that whatever you sow that’s what you will reap. My philosophy is ‘Without deviation from the norm, progress is never possible’. Just to leave this message with my fellow youth — nothing is impossible to achieve. With dedication, consistency and God at the centre, then you can achieve greatness. Never give up on your dreams. No matter how dark the tunnel may look, there is light at the end. Stay safe and God bless,” he said.