THIRTEEN adolescent mothers who completed their studies at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCFJ) in St Andrew were encouraged to pursue their dreams with confidence during a graduation service held at the institution last week.

Nurse of Excellence at University Hospital of the West Indies for 2024/25, Shantel McLean-Ford, who delivered the keynote address, urged the graduates to rise above their challenges and embrace the opportunities ahead during the ceremony held under the theme ‘Empowered for Success, Soaring for Greatness’.

“Walk out there with your head held high, not because the road ahead will be easy, but because you are ready to face it. You have survived, you have succeeded, and you are just getting started. Be the reason someone else believes that they can do it, because when one of you rises, all of us rise,” said McLean-Ford.

“Empowerment is when you choose to speak life over yourself even when others [cast] doubt on you. You are not broken, you are not behind, you are becoming today. Tomorrow you could be a business owner, you could be a nurse, like me; you could be a teacher, or you could even wear a crown. Don’t let anyone define your future, but you,” added McLean-Ford, an adolescent mother and past student of the Women’s Centre.

McLean-Ford is now in the final stages of completing a year-long support programme she spearheaded to help teenage mothers realise their full potential, as part of her JN Bank-sponsored Nurse of Excellence Award.

The registered nurse and midwife, who is also the 2017 Kingston and St Andrew Farm Queen, related that after discovering that she was pregnant at 15, and having to deal with the stigma and disappointment that she and her family faced, she was determined to make a difference.

“Deep down I knew one thing, my story wasn’t finished, but as a teenage mother my story was about to begin,” declared McLean-Ford.

She told the graduates that there were times when she doubted herself and felt like giving up, especially when others believed she wouldn’t succeed. But she drew strength and inspiration from her son.

“I kept going because success isn’t always talent, it is about courage, it’s about persistence, it’s about showing up again and again,” added McLean-Ford as she encouraged the graduates, whenever they are faced with challenges, to remember the reason they started the programme.

“Whenever doubt comes upon you, look in the mirror and tell yourself, ‘I am strong, I am magnificent, I can do what I say I will do,’ and whenever fear creeps inside, remember success is not final, failure is not fatal, but it is the courage to continue that counts,” urged McLean-Ford.

In the meantime, Sandra Jones, manager, public sector engagement, JN Bank, commended the graduates for their determination to make a new start, while highlighting the societal attitudes that often challenge young women.

“We live in a society that, despite its many positives, can sometimes be ungracious, especially to our women and girls. Sometimes, as a society we are unappreciative of the very humanity that we are all made of and shaped by. Your achievement is testament that, as humans, we can rise above any circumstance and use them as launching pads to blast off into the stratosphere, where not the world but the entire universe is ours to conquer,” said Jones.

“I’ve observed it in my personal and professional life, examples of young women, like you, who have, gracefully, but through perseverance, climbed the corporate and social ladder despite the challenges they have faced,” added Jones.

The banker acknowledged that it takes courage to rise above stigma and adversity and underscored the importance of ongoing support from institutions and the wider community to assist young mothers with building bright futures.

She highlighted the role of the JN Circle network, a community-based advocacy network of JN Group members and customers, which has been instrumental in supporting the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation. Notably, the Port Antonio Chapter, which established a computer lab at the centre’s location in Portland, while the Junction Chapter furnished the facility in St Elizabeth.

“At JN Bank, we believe very strongly in agency, and by that I mean the empowerment of every Jamaican who interacts with us, directly or indirectly. We take seriously our mantra, that ‘We will help you find a way,’ so that you can stand on your own two feet and carry on completing whatever the journey you have set your mind to. How we help is not always simply through a bank account or car loan or mortgage, it’s through simple efforts like this one, which cascade and snowball into amazing success stories like yours,” she added.