Avia Collinder, Outlook Writer

"I wanted to reform the legal system. I thought it was too difficult for people to get justice, especially poor persons," says John Clarke.- Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

He looks like the 19 years old that he is, but when John Clarke speaks, you will suddenly see him in a different light. The Child Development Agency (CDA) is justifiably proud of Clarke, winner of the prestigious 2007-2008 Jamaica Scholarship.

The Munro College student, fostered since he was seven years old by Marjorie Binns, is now president of the Law Society at the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he is only a first-year law student.

John Clarke does not know his mother and father, as he was discovered only a few days old in a garbage pan in Cockburn Pen, Kingston. He was placed in Maxfield Park and Hansbury children's homes before he was taken into the tender care of the business woman who was to change his life.

'Mummy' gave him a cat to play with, but she also cracked the whip where academic performance was concerned. Nothing John Clarke did was ever enough to please this hard taskmaster, yet nurturing woman.

"She is a great lady. She is the first person who actually pushed me academically," Clarke tells Outlook.

John Clarke with Munro old boy and fellow student Kenroy Newell, on campus at the University of the West Indies, where he studies law. -Contributed Photos

pushed to the limit

While he was at Goshen All-Age School, and later at Munro, when for the first time he came home to boast, only to be asked, "What was the grade?" When told that it was 96, his mother wanted to know what happened to the remaining four per cent?

According to Avery Nelson of the CDA in Kingston, "The CDA's foster care programme is quite effective in giving children in state care a fair chance at life. The bottom line is that the family is the best environment for raising a child and through foster care, we can harness the potential of many children just by being a part of a loving and caring family. John is a shining example of what foster care can do for a child."

John recalls that his foster mom was always saying, "You can do better."

The result, at the end of his time at Munro, was four CAPE subject passes - all with distinctions - and the most prestigious scholarship which can be awarded to a high school leaver.

The scholarship will cover his tuition, boarding, books and general upkeep all the way through to the end of his programme at law school.

love for law

Clarke says, "I always saw law as a medium by which I could defend the rights of others. I was concerned about the rights of my cat, and as I got older, it was all about Crime Scene Investigations on television, Law and Order and other legal shows."

When he was between 12 and 13 he was still interested, and by then he was also considering politics.

"I wanted to reform the legal system. I thought it was too difficult for people to get justice, especially poor persons. When I went to the RM Court she (the RM) was writing her own notes and stopping evidence in order to record what was being said. I was not impressed.

"As a lawyer, you can only defend a few person's rights. As a good politician, you can impact the system in a significant way."

His interest in politics since this time, however, has dimmed.

loyalty

The law student states, "In Jamaica, politics is not about young people. It is about winning elections and, after winning the first election, you spend the entire term preparing to win another."

Munro helped to clarify his career goals, and the school, he states, "was the best time of my life".

Although it is a very traditional school with tough discipline, Clarke says he misses the teachers, his friends and the "spirit of fraternity".

"I miss the way males dealt with each other as brothers. In the wider society, they disapprove of this and men do not look out for each other. At Munro, we may have been immature, but we were very loyal to each other. No Munro student would leave another on the road without money."

Now settled at Mona, he remains concerned about those who have no access to legal help or do not want to litigate because of the onerous process involved. His dream company, Parlex International, will introduce services which will address weaknesses in the courtroom system, including mediation and othe forms of dispute resolution.

Lots of responsibility, he says, comes with the position of Law Society president. The society represents students, plans lecture series and, during Law Society Week, hosts a panel discussion.

Most recently, the law society managed to obtain - free of cost - database passwords for law students at Mona who previously had to pay for the privilege.

John Clarke is also an executive of the Youth League on Campus, which is a forum for discussing issues affecting youth and disseminating their views on national development.

At Munro college, he was student council president and was Junior Mayor for the parish of St. Elizabeth for 2005 to 2006. He was also on the high school's track team.

"I love to run. I will run for foolishness," says John Clarke with a smile.

He states that he is no Asafa Powell and participates in athletics mainly in support of his schools.

'real' parents

Clarke ensures that his studies are covered, trying, he says, to "study smart, picking certain topics and knowing them like the back of my hand". It is the technique which won him the scholarship and which he hopes will help him to excel at the tertiary level.

His 'real' parents, we said to him, must be wringing their hands about their loss, but John Clarke does not care.

"I don't know anyone in my family - mother, father, not one soul. I don't know exactly where I was born or where I came from." John Clarke states.

He confesses that at one point in his life he really thought he had done something wrong to be thrown away and still feels 'wrong' sometimes.

But he no longer yearns to find his parents. "I just don't care anymore about finding them. I have grown inured."

He rationalises his situation by explaining, "Some of us come into life as empty vessel's and what they become is because of what their parents have put into them. This does not mean that they have done well. I think it is better to fill my own vessel."

John Clarke is a happy student who intends to marry and 'sadly' he says, spoil his children.

Outside of academic pursuits, he enjoys Legally Blonde, CSI, Law and Order and the new show Why Did I Get Married? His favourite books are Harry Potter, John Grisham novels and the Bible. He confesses that he also loves Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.

The law student also loves to talk - with a passion.

Considering his chosen path, he will get lots of opportunity to indulge and with good effect.