THE GLEANER, SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | FEATURE A4 Real good stories fromThe Gleaner #GOODHEARTJA Keisha Hill/ Senior Gleaner Writer PATRICE GRAY has sought to use her resources in the best way to assist the people in her community. The 34-year-old from Thornton, in St Elizabeth, wants to see her community flourish and has been using her place of business to facilitate the growth and development of youth in the area. Gray, who moved to the community some 30 years ago, grew up observing her grandmother andmother assisting others. “I saw them giving back in whatever way that they could. I give back in terms of my time and helping with various community projects,” she said. At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many students faced challenges accessing Internet service since classes were moved online. Gray equipped an adjoining section of her business place with Wi-Fi and gave students access on weekdays and Sundays. The space has been furnished with benches and tables similar to that of an actual classroom, and a sanitisation unit has been set up. “Many of the students do not have access toWi-Fi at home. I allow the students to use it and have their classes going, and I want to help the children in my community,” Gray said. FUTURE GENERATION As an executive member of her community youth club, Gray is always trying to find ways to reach out and build her community and help the future generation. “The Thornton Community Club does various activities and outreach programmes to help the community. The objective of the community club is to uplift the living standards of persons living in the community. I also do projects on my own, and I have plans to start my own charity,” she said. The community club has also undertaken various initiatives, including delivering care packages to the most vulnerable in the community and the renovation of the community centre for its future use as a skills training and homework centre. Now a health and fitness enthusiast, Gray and her partner recently hosted a competition in February to encourage people in the community to exercise. “I started exercising at the start of the pandemic as a way to relieve stress and boredom. I have encouraged people to start exercising as it helps with health issues. Another executive member started having fitness classes at the community court, and it was a way to encourage more people to join the classes and to lose the weight,” Gray said. Gray is encouraging people to give back in whatever way possible. She is a recent recipient of the Sagicor Community Hero Awards. “It feels good to be recognised but giving back was never about being recognised; it was more of seeing a need that I could fulfil. It is a wonderful feeling to help someone, and by uplifting your community, you will eventually uplift the country,” she said. keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com 34-y-o converts section of business to classroom for students without Wi-Fi Patrice Gray (left), is a recent recipient of the Sagicor Community Hero Awards for her contributions to her community. CONTRIBUTED MANY PERSONS are now leaning towards non-traditional career paths. This is definitely the truth for twenty-one-year-old TahjRojae Scott and his quest for success in Jamaica’s music and entertainment industry and beyond. Currently in his second year of study at The University of the West Indies, pursuing a degree in banking and finance, Scott’s dreams of a successful career in entertainment are based on a strong business sense. Not only is he pursuing a business degree, but he also works with his father in operating the family’s auto sales business. This business background enables him to approach music holistically, with not only a perspective and ear for melodies and harmonies, but a knowledge of business structure, strategy and proper business process. Since the pandemic, Scott has been dedicated to his studies and his craft, having successfully released three projects this year, a few singles, and registered his record label, TRG Records, in a move to expand further in 2022. “My goal is not to just make music, but to also help more artistes in a structured, legal way. The plan is to offer opportunities to other aspiring recording artistes who may not be able to afford frequent trips to the studio but are still motivated to create,”Scott shared. When asked about his motivation and where this passion began, he shared, “I was never interested in sitting in an office I didn’t own. So, since high school, I was always starting new business ventures or partnering with others, it came naturally to me. I enjoy blending my creative ideas withmy business ideas to provide consumers with unique experiences. I enjoymaking executive decisions, and I enjoy entrepreneurship, because there isn’t a hierarchy that you need to rank up in before you can grow. Every day is a new opportunity for limitless growth.” TOP RECIPIENT It is this drive and dedication to all areas of his dream career path that led him to work towards securing the votes needed tomake him the top recipient in the microentrepreneurship category in the NCB Foundation Grant a Wish Programme. Scott’s wishes were granted after being nominated in the category by his mother, and he is now the recipient of the top award, $250,000! “I’d like to express gratitude for this initiative by NCB Foundation. There are many of us with dreams and aspirations which we cannot execute due to lack of money, and these grants will propel so many individuals and organisations further, allowing them to achieve more and assist more individuals, too. This gift will help me to achieve [the] goals I’ve had for years. It will help me to finish building my home studio, which I have been working on for some time now.” As an entrepreneur, Scott shared some insights and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs - “Plan ahead, keep the faith even when things are slow, be consistent, be able to take criticism from people who are genuine, be confident and, most importantly, don’t give up.”Scott also has big plans for his future and the future of Jamaica’s music and enter tainment industry. “My hopes are to release more music and visual content for the new year, as well as do more collaborations with other creators. I plan to continue doing my best to become more recognised as an artiste next year and add something unique to the music culture through my label and the music I’ll be in charge of.” Entrepreneur gets $250,000 boost Tahj-Rojae and his father, Michael Scott, celebrate with a hug. CONTRIBUTED David Salmon/Gleaner Writer THIS MONTH, students of the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) at The University of theWest Indies will be able to apply for financial assistance from the FSS Guild Committee. Spearheaded by social sciences representative, Omolora Wilson, the Tiger Tuition Acceptance Grant aims to support students who face the imminent risk of being deregistered for non-payment of school fees. “Last year during the exam period, a lot of students from the faculty got barred from doing their exams…Thus, I saw it as a need to ensure that students won’t end up in the same situation this semester again,”Wilson told The Gleaner. An estimated 200 students from the faculty are believed to have been deregistered due to nonpayment of school fees last year. Wilson shared that she has successfully lobbied for students who had a financial block last semester to be registered as absent instead of facing a penalty. This allows them to sit their final exams this year. However, she explained that the COVID-19 pandemic had emphasised the need to provide additional support for students as many were still reeling from the fallout. “As faculty of social sciences representative, one of the manifesto points that I want to do was to improve the social science representative grant … . We want to do way more and want to incorporate data plans,” addedWilson. So far, $500,000 has been raised for the grant, with the committee aiming to reach its target of $1 million by the end of the semester. An additional sum has been set aside to purchase electronic devices for students. She elaborated that this is just one of a range of activities being finalised ahead of the Faculty of Social Sciences Week, which will begin on March 20. During this week, the guild representative aims to conduct additional fundraising for the grant and implement projects geared towards student development. “We have our sale of memorabilia which will also go towards students’ tuition or wherever we can assist them… Other initiatives that we have is our social sciences study sessions coming up, and in addition to that, we have our scholarship and sponsorship session coming up,”Wilson said. To access an application formor learnmore about upcoming projects, visit the Faculty of Social Sciences’ Instagram page, @ uwimona_fss or the website at www. mona.uwi.edu/socsci/. david.salmon@gleanerjm.com Social science faculty rep launches grant for students in need Social sciences representative, Omolora Wilson, said the Tiger Tuition Acceptance Grant aims to support students who face the imminent risk of being deregistered for non-payment of school fees. CONTRIBUTED Patrice Gray – A strong pillar in Thornton
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