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“S
TRONG TRUTHS, well
lived” – Loyola University
of Maryland motto and
favourite quote of its graduate,
Brittany Singh Williams, who
encourages youths to live a
life that allows them to be
true to themselves – true to
what and who they are
called to be; a life well
lived.
Singh
Williams has a
few titles
attached
to her
name
–
founder of SPARK Education; adviser to
the minister of state in the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Information;
executive director of the C.B. Facey
Foundation; and curator of Global
Shapers Kingston Hub. She
has a passion for children and
education, one that was
hinted at during her childhood
as she chose to teach her dolls
or gathering the
neighbourhood children to
complete her versions of extra
lessons through different
activities. But it was not until
the Loyola University of
Maryland that this dream
really took shape.
A Jesuit school said to be
grounded in social justice, it
was here that Singh Williams
found herself exploring various
subject areas and found herself
in an education class. It was as
if the class chose her. She
found her purpose. Going on
to Bangkok, Thailand, to
teach English, she was assigned to teach
social studies/civics instead. This became
a whole other experience entirely as
while she taught students, she herself
became a student of life and culture –
gathering new perspective on life itself.
“For me, teaching in Thailand was
less about the teaching aspect, but
the learning about who we are meant
to be as people and how lessons
learnt in civics influenceshow we live
in our own native land,” she told
Flair
.
Thailand influenced her palate as
well, as she thoroughly enjoys Thai
food. If not readily available, her go-
to is Singapore Chicken from
Tamarind Indian Cuisine.
A Global Shaper (an
affiliated youth
organisation of the World Economic
Forum) for four years, she got the
opportunity to work with other youths
with the common interest of developing
their local communities. She also worked
at developing her own
brainchild – SPARK.
“My intention is to
operate various
programmes that offer
personalised learning
solutions that capitalise on
the strengths and interests
of its students, while
developing 21st-century
skills,” Singh Williams
said.
Motivated by faith, she
said it is God who keeps
her on course with His
signs and wonders. Singh
Williams keeps focused on
the fact that she is living a
life bigger than herself. As
a wife and now soon-to-be
mother, she holds her
family dear to her heart as
most of her downtime is spent with
family.
“As a matter of fact, what relaxes me
most is going to our family home in May
Pen and just taking the weekend to be in
each other’s space; in a space of gratitude
for the moments we have together,” she
told
Flair
.
She prays that her son will live a life
full of purpose. She strongly believes that
every child, not only her own, should
have the opportunity to discover their
purpose, so she aims to raise a
confident king who knows
who he is.
26
THE GLEANER’S FLAIR MAGAZINE • MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018
PHOTOS BY
RUDOLPH
BROWN/
PHOTOGRAPHER
Brittany Singh Williams
Living her best life
D
istinguished
THE
Education