IWD 2022: Shudeen Ramsay — Country girl doing big things in the city

GROWING up in a deep rural area robbed Shudeen Ramsay of seeing what the world had to offer, but things changed for good when she moved to Kingston.

Now that Ramsay is living and attending school in Kingston, her eyes have been opened to many opportunities to grow and develop professionally.

“Your mind is so closed living in a rural area. I didn’t see much. I only saw persons setting up shops, farming or raising chickens… that’s all I knew, basically. Majority of my days were spent at home and travelling to primary school in Seaforth,” she said.

“Bad roads, no running water, we had electricity but no cable, there wasn’t much to see and I didn’t know how much there was to see until I came to Kingston with my mom,” Ramsay added.

Growing up, Ramsay always believed that there was a better life beyond what she was seeing and experiencing on the daily. She had great expectations to explore and discover more.

“I have always had this thing in me that there is something greater to be had…like there is something bigger and better out there for me,” said Ramsay.

Ramsay’s mom got pregnant at 15 while attending Seaforth High School. The teen was not able to continue school but instead had to take on the journey of motherhood at a very young age.

Understanding the circumstances of her birth, Ramsay made a decision at an early age that she could not allow herself to end up in this same situation.

“I did not want to repeat that cycle of teenage pregnancy…so I believe I was very conscious of that from primary school when I realised the situation that I was living in,” she expressed.

Ramsay further explained that she was always cognisant of the fact that her mom had her very young, therefore it made her very deliberate in ensuring that she pursued a good education so that she could become successful.

During Ramsay’s tenure at Seaforth Primary she did extremely well in her academics and was always topping her class. As a child, life wasn’t the easiest for her due to the fact that she was mostly raised by a single parent who struggled financially at times. In order to source funds for purchasing her lunch at school, Ramsay was introduced to selling candy as early as grade two.

“My mom was working at a bar close by the school so she would give me a bottle of Jello and Bobby sweets to sell. Back then I thought it was a cool thing to be selling candy at school and I had no problem doing it,” Ramsay explained.

In grade four Ramsay left for Kingston with her mom who got a job as a security guard. She explained that they were living in the ghetto where her mom was paying $3,000 for rent with no electricity or water.

During high school Ramsay always had a great love for business and law; therefore, after graduating from Immaculate Conception High she went on to pursue a bachelor of laws degree at The University of the West Indies.

“My real passion for law came when I was in grade 11, when I was introduced to sociology and economics and I started realising that one set of people run the world or have the upper hand in society, and I didn’t want to be a slave to the system,” Ramsay said.

Due to Ramsay’s passion for business, coupled with her love for helping individuals, she decided to embark on a virtual business venture called Ramsay’s Help Desk during the novel coronavirus pandemic. She mentioned that a lot of people have great ideas; however, there is the need for structure and support. The business has grown and has helped many people transform and formalise their businesses. Her business is now rebranded to Ramsay’s Professional Services Limited.

“I want to change the narrative of professionalism in Jamaica. Jamaica’s entrepreneurial spirit is so high…we are smart people and we are very resourceful,” she said.

“I think Jamaicans should give up the hustling mindset that they typically have, because if we change that mindset to a business mindset this can significantly help us to grow and improve as a nation and even draw closer to Vision 2030 — the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business,” she added.

Ramsay’s Professional Services Limited also provides freelance opportunities for youth, specifically senior high schoolers and university students. Students can work from wherever they are and within the hours they are available. This is a paid opportunity for youth where they can gain work experience while learning business operations.

To guide and inspire are two of Ramsay’s major goals, therefore she uses her social media page to host weekly live sessions dubbed “Shudeen Speaks” where she shares her story, delivers motivational speeches, as well as shares business tips and tricks. Her main aim is to help youth manoeuvre the Jamaican system.