Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

She may have been born and raised in one of the most volatile communities in St James, but this was no deterrent to 21-year-old Shereika Thompson, who has overcome the odds.

It was October 28, 1987, when her mother, Daphne Brown, took home her third child, an only girl, to the community of Canterbury in Montego Bay.

Shereika recalls that when she was a child, life in the community, which now invokes fear in even those who just pass through the area, was one of fun.

As Shereika became a teenager, things changed.

Hiding under the bed

"When I was younger, it was fun because there was no fear, but in the teenage years it got really bad because there were a lot of gunshots. We couldn't study and we had to be hiding under the bed," she explained.

"But, there was a sense of togetherness with the residents so that was something good."

According to Shereika, life was difficult for her mother, who had to raise her and her two older brothers.

Her father had migrated when she was five years old and failed to play a role in her life.

Shereika's education started at the Faith Basic School and then the Montego Bay Infant School. She would later attend the Barracks Road Primary School. Outstanding academic performances earned her a spot at the Mount Alvernia High School, one of the premier (all-girls) secondary institutions in Montego Bay.

She told The Gleaner she was able to sit and pass seven Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects through the assistance of the Member of Parliament for North West St James, Dr Horace Chang, who believed in her potential.

The 21-year-old, who now works as an accounting clerk at Barnett Limited in St James, is currently pursuing the level II of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants course at the University College of the Caribbean.

She wants to become a chartered accountant.