FOR many students, winning a scholarship is a reason to celebrate. But for Dana-Paige Rodney, one of two awardees in the NCB national scholarship programme, the honour is more than a title; it’s a conviction she said was shaped by her faith, her struggles with depression, and the determination to remain grounded in her spiritual believes.

“God brought me from that place…people helped to bring me from that place and now that I’m here, I can just confidently say that conviction is going to stay with me,” she said, reflecting on her past struggles with depression and self-harm.

Rodney, a graduate of The Queen’s School, admitted that her academic journey was not without setbacks.

After excelling in her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams, where she earned grade ones in English literature, information technology, and social studies, she noted that her Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results were far below expectations.

“My CAPE grades humbled me this year,” she confessed. “I believed that when I opened my portal I would have seen ones and twos, because that’s what I’m used to. It’s my normal. However, I opened and saw threes and fours, and the only thing that kept me connected was the fact that ‘Oh, I got this scholarship’,” she said while speaking to journalists at this year’s NCB Foundation scholarship and grant awards ceremony on Wednesday.

Rodney admitted that her struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts were the main reasons for the drastic shift in her academic performances which she said led to her questioning her potential and her ability.

“The change was simply this, me living in my depression and allowing myself to sit in it and it sounds trivial, but that’s literally it. It’s allowing yourself to be sad everyday to the point where you think this is your entire reality and that is exactly what I did and I went with that attitude,” she said.

Despite the challenges, she explained that her faith has kept her grounded and was the main thing that brought her from a dark place.

“It [her personal conviction] comes from digging into the word, knowing that Jesus Christ died for me and through that sacrifice, it’s the reason why I’m even still alive now. I’m not afraid to show my scars. I used to cut myself, I don’t do that anymore because He brought me from that era for me to even be at NCB today,” she said.

For Rodney, the scholarship represents more than financial assistance, but she said it is a reminder of humility and gratitude, admitting that at one point she doubted she would even qualify for such an opportunity.

“The things that God put me through this year to really humble me and bring my pride from up here to down here has literally allowed me to see the world in a different light. I literally cannot look and see other people who are acting the same as me when I was in that place back then; it just brings out a different level of life,” she said.

Now preparing to begin her studies in cybersecurity and digital forensics at Caribbean Maritime University which will be fully funded by her scholarship, Rodney says her goal is to use her education to protect people in the digital space.

“People are getting scammed, people are getting their lives stolen, literally just by being online every day, in their phones constantly. I want to protect people and not just children in the online space by becoming probably a cybercrime analyst where I can analyse these different crimes and show that, because you’re on the Internet, it doesn’t mean that you’re safe,” she explained.

Her decision to pursue the field, she noted, was influenced by her own experiences growing up in a household that often felt disconnected. Spending long hours online became both her escape and her classroom.

“By being online, it can be a very scary place as a child…children online deserve to feel safe. The men and people of Jamaica deserve to be safe online because everything is being done online,” she said.

Rodney also recalled the moment she almost gave up on applying for scholarships, convinced she would not succeed.

“The day before I got the call, I had a call from another scholarship place that said that I did not get it. After that I was discouraged and felt the need that oh, I need to go back into that place of depression. But God had to convict me and say, ‘be grateful. You have your grandmother, you have your own room. Many people cannot say that they have a room to sleep in’.”

That next morning, she awoke to an unexpected call — an invitation to interview for the NCB Foundation’s scholarship.

What began as a doubtful application, she said, turned into one of the greatest blessings of her life.

“It was my teacher that believed in me, who sent me this scholarship link and I was like, why apply for it, I’m not even going to get through, and that mindset that I was in then, God brought me out of it to be here now,” she recalled.

Her story is one of resilience, but also of the importance of support systems. Raised primarily by her grandmother, Rodney credits her alongside her teachers’ encouragement, her faith, and the NCB Foundation for helping her see her future with new eyes.

This year, the foundation invested $35.8 million in scholarships and grants, benefiting 193 students across Jamaica including 15 special awardees who participated in Wednesday’s event.

Since its inception 17 years ago, the organisation has awarded more than $1 billion in educational support, impacting more than 2,800 students island wide.

But for Rodney, being chosen among the top recipients is a responsibility as much as it is a reward.

“If I keep up the attitude that Michael Lee-Chin [chairman at NCB] himself was talking about, that conviction, it will continue because then I’m able to become not only a leader for others but a leader for myself because that way I’m not misleading anybody and I’m not focusing on other things of the world like parties and stuff when I can be in school doing my work and remembering the gratitude that I have from even getting this overall.” she said.

As she looks ahead to her university studies, Rodney insists she will not forget the lessons learned through her struggles. For her, true success is not measured by grades alone, but by staying faithful, grateful, and grounded.

“Right now, this means nothing if I’m not doing well internally. If I’m not keeping up that conviction that I need to be grateful,” said Rodney.

Dana-Paige Rodney, NCB national scholarship awardee (Photo: Naphtali Junior)