JUNIOR accountant at Sandals Montego Bay, Latoya Christie, is a testament to forging one’s path and embracing personal and career development.

Originally from the Windsor Lodge district in Somerton, St James, the recently promoted junior accountant is the Diamond Team Member of the Year for the Sandals flagship resort.

The product of a single-parent home, Christie credits much of her passion and skills for money management to her mother, who, as she puts it, never exposed her to the struggle.

“I can’t say I had a tough upbringing. I know now that sometimes things must have been hard for my mom, but she always found a way to make ends meet and provide me with what I needed,” she said, adding that she had strong support growing up in a close-knit, predominantly female-dominated family.

While attending William Knibb Memorial High, Christie said she was obsessed with animals and harboured dreams of becoming a veterinarian. However, fate had something else in store for her.

“On the day that we were all choosing our subjects at school, I was not at school. And when I returned to school, the sciences were full. The other choices I had were the arts or business. So I selected business, as I knew nothing about the arts,” she recounted.

Admittedly, Christie said she was a little disappointed, but not for too long. She quickly developed a passion for business and excelled in it. So much so that she pursued and completed an associate and bachelor’s degree in business studies at Montego Bay Community College, majoring in finance and management.

“I grew to love business, especially the finance aspect,” she said.

Strapped for cash, but determined not to put a pause on her dreams, Christie went to work at Montego Bay Community College after graduating from high school.

Being placed in the accounts department only fuelled her passion for finance even more.

“I would work in the daytime and go to school at night in the continuing studies programme. It wasn’t easy at all, and I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but I was determined to make a life for myself that I could be proud of,” said Christie.

After graduating from Montego Bay Community College, she jumped at the opportunity to work for an insurance company.

“I thought I would be working in accounts, but instead the job offer was for the claims department,” she recalled.

Nevertheless, Christie welcomed the opportunity and immersed herself fully in her new role. Five and a half years later, she was a full-fledged, certified insurance agent.

“But by then, accounts was once again calling my name — along with the allure of sun, sand, and sea. Even during my time in insurance, I was familiar with Sandals and often imagined working at a resort, so I decided to apply,” she said.

Not responding to a job posting or anything of the sort, Christie just applied to Sandals on the sheer hope that an opportunity would present itself. And that it did. She did two interviews at Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals procurement division. After a brief wait, she received the call from the [then] Financial Controller Noel Campbell and an invitation to join the accounts team at the Sandals flagship resort.

Fast-forward six years, Christie has worked her way through several positions in the accounts department, from payables to payroll.

“I really enjoyed working in payroll and working closely with the human resources team,” she said.

Currently, Christie is the junior accountant and in this supervisory role, she oversees the entire office to ensure everyone is on the right path. She will check all documents, payments et cetera. She also fills in whenever any other team member is on vacation, which requires her to have a solid knowledge of every role. This is knowledge that she openly shares with other colleagues as a department trainer.

Christie noted that being a part of the Sandals team has aided her development professionally and personally.

“I was always so reserved and shy; that was my mountain to get over. Sandals has allowed me to open up with all the training opportunities and encouragement received from management and fellow colleagues,” she said.

Within her department, consistent training is a standard and Christie boasts a long line of training and certifications. From purchase order training, Oracle, and any other new implementations to American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute certifications and financial management.

Before joining the Sandals team, Christie also received anti-money laundering training.

While being in payroll, she noted that she fell in love with human resources and decided to pursue a Level 5 course in human resource management. This allows her the capability of working in human resources some day; something that she is certainly looking forward to should the opportunity arise.

Outside of her work obligations, Christie avails herself very readily to environmental projects at the resort as well as community outreach through the Sandals Foundation, with a major focus on period poverty.

Her advice to her colleagues and to those seeking to enter the hospitality arena is to have an open mind and be enthusiastic about whatever it is that you’re doing. She strongly believes that once you are willing to learn, the opportunities are always there and when it’s your time to shine it’s just your time.

Latoya Christie (left) shares a light-hearted moment with Suzette Dillon, finance manager at Sandals Montego Bay, as they pause to enjoy the serene beauty just outside their office.