Dr Maloney Hunter’s metamorphosis

SHE’S a go-getter and a woman who has triumphed over adversity and what could easily be described as some of the worst tribulations in life.

Born and raised in Iron’s Mountain, St Ann, Dr Maloney Hunter, 46, told All Woman that growing up was filled with disappointments and struggles, which caused her to learn at a very early age that her life and path would be somewhat different from others.

“At age 10 I got baptised and soon after realised that demons do exist when I had a first-hand experience of them taking over my body. I remember it like yesterday and how my father had to rebuke and pray for the healing of my soul. The experience left me to believe in God, that He can save lives and that He is alive,” she shared.

Shortly after her experience, Dr Hunter moved to August Town in Glengoffe, then to Old Harbour, but after both her parents migrated, she was left with bitter experiences from the family to whose care she was entrusted.

“I encountered sexual molestation, a near kidnapping, and mistreatment from people I knew and trusted,” she said. “The kidnapping situation occurred when I boarded a pick-up truck that should have left me at a local store, but the driver and his friends decided that they weren’t going to let me off and I knew I had to get off that truck dead or alive, and as they sped up, I jumped off the back of the speeding truck. When I woke up I found several people over me pronouncing me dead. But I made it. It just was not my time.”

While living in Old Harbour, Dr Hunter attended Johnathan Grant High for about two years, but was then prevented from attending school and forced instead to do domestic chores at home and go to the fields to reap market goods.

She subsequently went back to Iron’s Mountain where she sat out school until she migrated at 16 to join her parents. This, she said, gave her a brand new outlook on life, but it was not void of challenges and she developed a fighting spirit like no other, resolving within herself that she had to excel.

And so, realising there was nothing more powerful for self-motivation than the right attitude, she chose to control her circumstances and her attitude towards the circumstances she faced and used it to motivate others.

“I relish sharing ideas and helping friends get motivated. Seeing others do well helps to propel me to do better. My measure of success is being able to overcome obstacles in life. When you know where you are going and how much progress you have made, it creates anticipation and excitement. This positive energy helps me to take consistent action in the direction of my goals, which multiplies my results,” she said.

Now a school administrator in New York, Dr Hunter never completed her high school education, but holds an associate degree in business management, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, two master’s degrees in elementary education and school administration, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership.

Attaining her qualifications was no easy feat as she was often belittled by her instructors who dubbed her “All but dissertation”, as her writing was not up to par. However, she said having relied on herself to overcome her brokenness, and reading inspiring and uplifting books, she ensured she did well and reached the soul of others.

She eventually became an online instructor and her dissertation titled “A qualitative analysis of disruptive behavior and leadership influence in two urban k-6 Virginia elementary public schools” was nominated as one of the best.

In 2007, she was named teacher of the year at Victory Elementary School in Virginia, which she said was a very proud moment for her. She was also featured in Who’s Who in Black Washington, DC, as a woman of inspiration. She has published a book, A Caribbean Twist and 14 short stories under a pseudonym .

She is also passionate about motivating other young women to exhibit flexibility, confidence and set high expectations for themselves.

“As women we must always love ourselves no matter what and rely solely on God, because when everything fails around you, your strong mindset and belief in God will take you through it. It’s never too late to start over, to love, to get a home, to get a degree, to believe in self. One thing I have learnt is that without God nothing is possible and it does not matter what we have, if we don’t put God first we will be an empty vessel,” Dr Hunter said.

Also a mother of four boys, a certified notary public and wedding officiant, Dr Hunter enjoys travelling. Her educational career has taken her to Dubai, Paris, London, Rome, Ethiopia, Russia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar. She believes that if people work hard, learn from their failures and become happy with the result, whatever they do will be successful.