Young woman to watch: Jhaneille Esson captivates Jamaica in quiz
THE youngest and the only girl among the boys, 14-year-old St Jago High School quiz captain Jhaneille Esson captivated Jamaica with her prowess and composure during the 2022 Schools’ Challenge Quiz competition.
The Ensom City, Spanish Town girl, who has not even tackled Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) as yet, assisted in leading her school to victory over Calabar High, securing its sixth hold on the esteemed quiz trophy.
Esson told All Woman that memorising a multitude of information in preparation for any possible question that could be asked came easy.
“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. I would just say that repetition is what helped me to remember. Hearing the information over and over helped for it to be easy to recall when it was being asked. Yes, staying up until late hours is tedious, but a lot of work gets done during those times,” she said.
She added: “In all honesty, training through the pandemic was my most challenging obstacle, considering all the protocols we had to adhere to. It was very difficult to adjust to the mask-wearing and the social distancing, but I knew that in order to win, I would have to bend my mind to my condition and adjust accordingly.”
Esson, who was head girl at Solid Base Prep in 2018, said leading the St Jago quiz team was thrilling. She was selected as captain for the team in grade seven; her first year at St Jago.
“It feels really good honestly, considering the fact that my team members are so easy to work with and they are willing to listen to my instructions and work accordingly. Throughout the competition, it made me feel really good knowing that I had not one, not two, but three strong support systems throughout every match. It made playing a lot easier,” she said.
“I was a little nervous at first because you don’t usually see a girl leading boys, especially when they’re older, but I adjusted accordingly to be able to work with them.”
Interestingly, her nervousness ended there.
“I wasn’t nervous at all because I knew that I had put in the work, and as long as I played hard right throughout the match, the result would sort itself out,” she related.
Though the journey was joyous and fulfilling, the aspiring engineer said she doesn’t remember the exact moment when the team met for the first time.
“I don’t particularly remember when we first met, but I wouldn’t say it was instant chemistry. It took us a little while to get accustomed to each other.”
Further, she said being a part of the quiz team has helped her academically.
“Studying for quiz definitely assists me academically because majority of what I have learnt in certain subject areas from quiz is the same thing I learn in class, so it gives me a slight advantage, considering the fact that I have gone through it already.”
And the overall experience, “has taught me how to work with others and listen to their opinions and respectfully disagree if necessary as well as how to be patient with everyone and give them their chance to give air to their feelings if necessary”, she said.
After her team was crowned champion through a 28-16 victory, Esson said the reception was tremendous.
“My family was ecstatic. They were extremely proud of me because they knew how hard I worked to achieve this,” she gushed. “My community was very happy for me… even people who I have only seen maybe once or twice made the effort to stop by my house and congratulate me.”
The 14-year-old said going forward, “My plans as it pertains to quiz are to just keep playing and see how many more times I can win.”
In terms of academics, she underscored that she wants to get good grades so that she can do her Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs) to be able to study abroad and realise her dream of becoming an engineer.
“I want to become an engineer, specifically an electrical engineer, so I plan to do biology, physics, information technology, additional mathematics, Spanish, and principles of business along with the mandatory subjects being mathematics, English language, and English literature,” she shared.
