Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
IT IS amazing that from seemingly barren land, a flower may appear. Latoya Richards is one such bloom.
Born in Western Kingston and then growing up in Central Kingston, her life has never been easy. She proves that "being born and raised in the ghetto, doesn't mean that you are doomed." She never grew up in what you might consider to be ideal family circumstances either, as most times it was just her mom.
In her younger days, she saw many girls got pregnant and drop out of school, but she has never let the same situation happened to her. She has witnessed her fair share of violence and that might have crippled some persons with fear but she remains steadfast.
"I don't think anyone from the inner-city should allow violence to bring them down. You have to just maintain your focus."
She is extremely grateful that at every step of her life, she has had good persons to guide her.
"It has been a real challenge for me as a young lady, but I have been encouraged by a lot of the older persons in the community. They tell me to keep my head up, concentrate and aim for the highest. I am what I am today because of those persons."
She was also a part of the Youth Educational Support System (YESS) where, through the different counsellors, she began to gain a better appreciation of herself. It was here that she really made the effort to meet the demands of school work and life.
A graduate of the Holy Childhood High School, she admits that going there was a bit of a culture shock.
"It was a different experience... I didn't even know how to speak proper English," she remembers. This sometimes brought laughs from other students whenever she would speak in class.
On the positive side, girls would always be keen to hear about where she lived and this helped her to make some friends. But she claims the closest friend is Jesus Christ. She came to a personal relationship with Him from the influence of her Spanish teacher.
"I will forever be grateful to her for that," she said.
The Learning Institute of Central Kingston (LICK) also helped her through some difficult family issues, for example, the time her uncle threw her out. But she is no longer bitter.
"I was really broken down. I was torn socially and emotionally. At the same time though, I think that was the beginning of a brand new day," she says positively.
She found positive influences in LICK and at First Missionary Church, which helped to solidify her decision to follow Christ. Apart from finding inner peace, she also caught the first glimpse of her future profession. Her mentor at church is an economist, and this field interests Latoya.
"I honestly feel there is a need for more economists in the society and I truly feel that I can make a contribution," she said.
This positive attitude to life has helped her on an academic level as well. In preparing to do her A Level examinations Latoya, like many students, applied for scholarships, including the Emancipation Scholarship. Though she believes that hard work will bring the rewards it deserves, she was slightly pessimistic about her chances because she didn't score any A's. But she went by faith. Applicants who are shortlisted then have to do an interview. She relates with a huge smile, that she cried tears of joy when she heard she was chosen and saw it as a blessing from God. Completing her first year at the University of the West Indies, Mona, she is still getting used to the work. She also works part-time at First Global Bank.
As the oldest of six children, she also has to play the part of a role model for them. But she wants to make a difference on a wider scale as well. "My heart goes out to the inner-city communities and Jamaica. Sometimes I read the paper and I think 'My God, what is this'?" She admits she sometimes spends time thinking about how she can help change things for the better. These include starting a police youth club in her area. She also looks forward to doing more work for the Lord.
"I want to reach out to people...I want to be faithful in my ministry."
Having come from such humble beginnings, she knows what it's like to have to work for everything and doesn't like to see possible talent go to waste.
"Young men need to come to their senses. There is more to life than just being on the street corner and holding a gun. They need to develop this attitude toward life where they want to give."
She also hopes that other young women will respect themselves.
"They need to go out there and work," she argues, "a lot of them hang around just like the guys."
She refuses to worry about the future as she puts everything in God's hands. But apart from her own ambitions, she is keen to help others.
"In the next five years, I hope that I can be making contributions, guiding people, mentoring people...in my own little inner-city area and then to Jamaica in general."
She's made it this far, why shouldn't she go further?
