First Global Bank, in association with The Gleaner's Flair Magazine, held the final part of the drive to honour women-of-vision event with the inaugural First Global Vision Forum at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Monday.

Facilitated by Dr Blossom O'Meally Nelson, it featured empowerment speaker, Jamaican-born Atlanta-based multi-award winning high school counsellor and Flair writer, Elaine Bryan. The target group was young women from high schools, tertiary institutions and women's groups from the corporation.

Bryan's presentation, titled, 'The Secrets to My Success', chronicled her years from childhood in Jamaica. She told the young women that in order to make it up the ladder of success, they should find a mentor, develop a plan, find their talents and use them well.

big dreams

Paula Barclay, vice president, corporate banking, Elaine Bryan, Gleaner columnist/high school counsellor, guest speaker and her husband Gregory and Maia Chung Smith meet and greet each other before the start of First Global's Young Women's Forum.

"Be persistent and remember that if you fail, it simply means you have to try again. Aim for excellence and have big dreams but, in so doing, don't think about the journey in life, focus on the end you want to achieve." She revealed that it was in the act of helping others to live their dreams that she had found her true calling.

She noted that although the grass always seemed greener on the other side, Jamaica has many of the best schools in the world and achieves excellent results in spite of limited resources. She also reminded them of the advantages to life in Jamaica - generational goodwill, temperate climate, adequate family-support systems and solid relationships, many of which are formed during childhood.

financial planning

Paula Barclay (right) vice president, corporate banking, First Global Bank, strikes a pose with Maia Chung Smith, First Global Vision Award winner at Monday's Young Women's Forum.

The author of Flair's monthly Financial Freedom column also urged the students to understand and appreciate the value of money by watching carefully what they spend and how much they save. She also told them to get advice from experts who know how to advise them about financial planning, from their working life through to the retirement years.

Former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Mining and Telecommunications, Marcia Forbes; Lorna Bell, executive director, Special Olympics; and Opposition Senator, Sandrea Falconer opened the proceedings by sharing their various journeys to success. They all offered some valuable guidelines for charting the future, based on their personal life experiences.