LONG before Ronaldhino Brown entered college to become a teacher, he had already created a classroom of his own. He was about 10 years old. His classroom was the backyard of his home in Church, Bog Walk. Beneath a mango tree, tree stumps became seats, old books provided material for lessons, and loose sheets of paper served as lesson notes.

About seven children from the community would gather there for help with their schoolwork. Brown, who was preparing for his own literacy and numeracy examinations at the time, would teach them what he knew. At the end of each session, he would announce, with the confidence of a young teacher already settling into his role: “Class dismissed!”

More than a decade later, Brown is still teaching, while working hard to complete an education his family has had to make sacrifices to support. Now 22, he is preparing to enter his final year at Moneague College, where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education with a double specialisation in computer science. Reaching this point has taken determination.

Brown lost his father at seven and was raised by his mother alongside five older siblings. He is the first in his family to attend college, and financing his studies has been a constant consideration along the way.

Moneague College student Ronaldhino Brown celebrates receiving the D&G Foundation Book Grant, as he looks ahead to completing his degree.

His final year brings another round of expenses. There are textbooks and professional resources to purchase, materials for his teaching practicum, and the added demands of completing his research. For a student already carefully managing the cost of college, those expenses add up quickly.

So when Brown saw the D&G Foundation’s call for applications for its Book Grant Programme, he immediately saw an opportunity that could help ease some of that pressure. He applied, sharing the story of his academic journey, his financial circumstances, and the work he has been doing with children in his community since he was a boy. His story stood out among the submissions, earning him one of 10 D&G Foundation book grants, valued at $150,000 each.

The support comes as Brown heads into one of the most demanding stages of his degree and will help him purchase textbooks, professional resources, and materials for his teaching practicum and final-year research.

For Brown, access to education has always carried special meaning.

“I want to be an inspiration for the younger ones in my community and for my older siblings who didn’t get the opportunity,” he said.

His journey to college came with financial challenges. Brown received a partial scholarship from Moneague College and later secured additional scholarship support, including assistance with boarding, which helped him continue his studies.

Throughout his own education, he has continued helping children in his community with theirs. He assists them with homework across different subjects, searches for books when they need additional resources, and sometimes uses artificial intelligence tools to break down difficult concepts when they are struggling to understand.

For Brown, one of the greatest rewards comes when a child finally grasps something that had seemed difficult. “The joy on their faces when they get something right,” he said.

He is particularly conscious of children whose abilities may be underestimated because they attend agricultural or vocational schools. Brown believes every educational pathway can lead somewhere meaningful when young people are given the encouragement and resources to develop their abilities.

“I want students to be digital citizens,” Brown said. “I think, for that to happen, we have to truly embrace the power of technology combined with education.”

That belief is shaping his own ambitions.

After completing his degree, Brown hopes to pursue computational research, particularly in robotics, and explore how technology can help address challenges in education. His final-year research will examine areas including robotics and cybersecurity, with plans to develop a functioning prototype that could eventually be adapted for Jamaica’s education system.

“If I can create a functioning prototype that will help students, whether to increase their reading comprehension levels or to increase their mathematical skills or whatever it is, the possibilities are endless,” he said.

He also hopes to establish a robotics club during his teaching practice, giving students an opportunity to experiment with technology and see themselves as creators of it.

The beginnings of that ambition can be traced back to a backyard in Bog Walk. There was a mango tree, a few tree stumps, some old books, and seven children who needed help with their schoolwork. Brown used what was available and started teaching.

Twelve years later, the boy who once called, “Class dismissed!” beneath that mango tree is preparing to enter the classroom as a trained teacher.

The setting has changed. The purpose has stayed remarkably consistent: helping another student understand.