AT 38 years old he already has degrees in political science and law, has been called to the Bar, and has almost 80,000 followers on TikTok — but that is just the start for the driven and determined Davion Vassell, who is now making his way into representational politics.

Vassell is the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) pick to represent it in St Andrew East Central in the next general election, a seat the party has never won in a contested election but he is undaunted.

“Growing up it was always said that you can’t do it. I remember when I fell when I was a child and I got a cut in my face at age nine, I was told that [there were] certain things that I would not be able to do…certain jobs that I would not be able to get because I now had a scar on my face and would be seen as a thug or a hoodlum.

“How many things have I done since then? How many magazines have I graced since then? How many degrees have I had since then? How many people…of national importance have I met since then? It goes to show that once you are not restricted by your mental state, then the sky is the limit,” Vassell told the Jamaica Observer.

“Sometimes I think life prepares you, over a period of time, for one big moment. And I think that is where I am at right now,” declared Vassell as he gets ready to face another first-time candidate, the People’s National Party’s (PNP’s) Dennis Gordon.

For Vassell, the preparation for this big moment started during his formative years at school in the tough inner-city community of Tower Hill in the Olympic Gardens area of St Andrew West Central.

He describes himself as one of the “Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) guinea pigs”, being among the first to sit that primary school-leaving examination while at Seaward Primary and Junior High School.

Having done well in GSAT, Vassell was placed at the top-ranked Wolmer’s Boys’ School where he received the needed guidance and support.

“When you get to Wolmer’s they have an old boys’ association that is very active and they provide guidance to youngsters who are aspiring. It is not very difficult when you go to certain schools, for you to see persons who are established in society who come back to the school to give back and encourage the next generation,” said Vassell, who is forever grateful to those who helped to shape his future.

From Wolmer’s it was on to The University of the West Indies, where his interest in politics led him to read for a degree in political science.

Vassell pointed out that he funded his first degree through a combination of student loan and the work and travel programme in the United States.

With degree in hand, Vassell felt ready to give in to the lure of politics, but with the birth of the first of his three children — a son — in 2009, he decided that his political ambitions had to be put on hold.

“My son was the inspiration behind the law [degree] because he was born March 13, 2009 and when I looked at my life I said to myself, ‘Here I am, it’s no longer one person, I have a little person who is reliant on me.’

“I didn’t want to go into politics then — even though that was my aspiration — I wanted to know that I could provide a certain level of financial security for my children, and when my son was born I said I need to look into becoming a professional where I can be able to take care of my family, and that’s where law came into the picture,” said Vassell.

Now, after being a defence attorney for the past 10 years with clients across the island, he has finally decided to give in to the political calling and there was little surprise that he made his way to the JLP, although he is adamant that growing up in a community in which the majority of residents traditionally support that party was not the deciding factor.

According to Vassell, he attended meetings of the PNP’s young professionals group the Patriots and the JLP’s counterpart Generation 2000 (G2K) before making a decision as he was not constrained by where he lived.

“I ended up choosing the G2K because they engaged me at the time. Warren Newby was president and he said, ‘Young man, I have a beach project coming up next week, meet me at Mary Seacole Hall at 6 o’clock,’ and I was there with other students who felt equally compelled to join a part of a movement that was going places,” Vassell told the Sunday Observer.

He argued that most educated, young Jamaicans are now gravitating towards the JLP because of its leaders and the leadership which it has brought to Jamaica.

Vassell further told the Sunday Observer that while he enjoys his work as a criminal lawyer, moving into the political world was almost inevitable.

“Politics has really been something that has been ingrained in me from a very long time. If it’s a case where you ignore the political process and in so doing you end up being led by fools, don’t you think you’re equally responsible if your country is going down the toilet, if you know that you’re able to make a difference and choose not to?” asked Vassell.

For him, making an immediate difference is to take St Andrew East Central from the PNP, and he is buoyed by the party’s performance in the constituency in recent elections.

According to Vassell, the trend shows a decline in PNP votes in the constituency with Dr Peter Phillips beating the JLP’s Beverly Prince by approximately 2,300 votes in 2016 — which was until then the smallest margin of victory for the former PNP president in some six times at the poll.

That margin was further reduced in 2020 with political neophyte Jodian Myrie giving Phillips a scare as she lost by fewer than 1,000 votes.

For Vassell, the trend is encouraging and he is doing the work on the ground to ensure a victory when the votes are counted.

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