DIAGNOSED with cerebral palsy at just three years old — a condition caused by brain development issues that affect movement — Ranique Wright has defied the odds at every turn to stand proudly as the top-performing male graduate of Annotto Bay High School.

He also walked away with multiple awards, including top student in social studies, information technology, and office administration, as well as a special award for being the Most Determined.

“It is unbelievable but also exciting,” an elated Ranique said when he spoke with the Jamaica Observer.

“When the COVID-19 [pandemic] came around in 2020 it kind of took everything away from me because I didn’t know how to do certain things [in school] and I was kind of slow — but right after COVID everything turned back around. I used to get low averages, like in the 40s or 50s, and when I reached higher grades I started forming study groups with my classmates and I started to see improvement, along with the help of my teachers,” said the 17-year-old.

Living with cerebral palsy has not been easy for Ranique, but giving up has never been an option. Through discipline and grit he’s managed to balance the condition with the demands of school.

Aware of his limitations, Ranique shared that he carefully structured his study sessions — setting timers to avoid overexertion and the risk of seizures due to exhaustion.

When the conditions implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19 were relaxed and the return to face-to-face classes posed a challenge due to his cerebral palsy, he took initiative and liaised with his principal and guidance counsellor to arrange transportation
to get to and from the St Mary school.

His determination was evident as neither his diagnosis nor a global pandemic would derail his dreams.

“Every time I felt like giving up I always got encouraging words from my sister to push forward and never watch the rough road ahead and what people say,” he told the Observer.

While his first few years of high school were rough, he said he met friends along the way who became study partners, and together they sought to build each other.

“I believe that to be successful in life you cannot only work by yourself, you have to work as a group, so if I don’t understand mathematics, somebody else understands mathematics and vice versa…We must always work together for success,” Ranique reasoned.

Now gearing up for sixth form, he is looking to further his education in computer science, with plans to transition to the University of Technology, Jamaica to pursue business and computer science degrees.

He told the Observer that his ultimate dream is to become a video game programmer and open a car dealership.

Ranique’s mother, Yvette Warp — a single mom of three with Ranique being the youngest — said she always knew her son would have big dreams and become successful, despite his condition.

“When he was going to primary school I started to struggle with him, but I realised although he was sick…he could reason with me — because if there was anything at all or if anything happened at school, he would be the first person to come home and say, ‘Mommy, something happened,’ ” she recalled.

Warp said while her son was not the most brilliant in primary school, he started to show great interest in his education when he started Annotto Bay High School.

“I realised he started buckling down and started to take his lesson more seriously, and in the end I found out that him start lik[ing] multiplication…He met two other guys in the summer exam and he came home and said, ‘Mommy, I’m going to do my best and try and beat them,’ and I said, ‘Alright, yes, try. All you have to do is try,’ ” she recounted.

A housekeeper who had limited access to education in her youth, Warp said she always instilled in her children that education is the key to success — and she made the necessary sacrifices to ensure they had a good life.

“I work very hard. I work from Sunday to Sunday just to let them have something on the table and just to let them not be a beggar or anything. I work from Sunday to Sunday to let them have things and go to school, because I always say to them, ‘I didn’t go to college, and I never went to high school,’ and that is my interest for my children. They must come and have something, read more than me, and have the wish of their life,” the determined mother told the Observer.

As she watched her son collect his award as the top-performing male graduate, having witnessed all he did to achieve the milestone, Warp said she was filled with pride.

“I feel so elated. I feel so proud because of — you know how Jamaican people stay — from they see you with a little disability and you are different, they treat you a little way. But I always tell him, ‘No, you try to be a leader [and] not a follower; try and succeed,’ ” she shared.

Warp said she’s even more proud to know that he sought to take others with him on his journey to success.

“He always said he wouldn’t mind if everybody did the things that he’s doing and came up; everybody graduate and have something, that is his prize. He always said he doesn’t want to leave his batchmates behind; he wants everybody to pass and do well,” Ranique’s mom said.

Dalkeith James, Ranique’s teacher, described him as a team player and a dependable student.

“He’s a very determined student in spite of his challenges… he has cerebral palsy so it affects his walking, his movement, even his speech, so he’s very slow to speak and stuff like that. He would not be the ordinary kid but even with all of these [challenges] he’s a very responsible student — completes his assignments on time, and if there’s an area or something that he’s struggling with he would reach out, ask for help,” said James.

“When you see a child like Ranique pushing themselves and doing so much, it really encourages you as a teacher to also give of your best and do your best in ensuring they get all the help that they need. This is somebody who we see has a bright future and will eventually contribute positively to society,” he declared.

Ranique Wright (centre) poses for a family photo with (from left) sister Monique Wright, father Michael Wright, aunt Michelle Warp-Thomas, brother Rushawn Wright, and mother Yvette Warp, at his recent graduation from Annotto Bay High School in St Mary.