Robert Campbell Chasing his dream of higher education at 61

Saturday, November 21, 2009 7:13 AM

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BY ANIKA RICHARDS Career & Education writer editorial@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, November 01, 2009

AFTER putting five children through the education system and with a sixth about to complete junior high school, Robert Campbell, 61, is only now getting the opportunity to himself attend university to complete his first degree.

Campbell, a community leader and devout Christian, is among this year's recipients of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Township Challenge Scholarship - an initiative of principal Professor Gordon Shirley - which is intended to improve the relationship between the university and the August Town community.

Robert Campbell, recipient of the University of the West Indies Township Challenge Scholarship, shows off a plaque he received for service to his community's development. (Photo: Napthali Junior)

The 61-year-old said his children are very encouraging and he would have it no other way.

"The good thing about it is that all of them are appreciative right now that I have sent them to school... leaving myself behind in order to send them to school," he told Career & Education. "What I am attempting to do now, I could not have done it at the time, because it would have been at their expense."

His children, aged 14 through 36, have all received "a good education", according to Campbell.

The youngest, Tashai Campbell, is in grade nine at Windward Road Primary and Junior High while his eldest daughter is in New York, completing her master's in early childhood education. The professions of his other children include accountant, artist and casino games technician.

Robert Campbell (left) is greeted by principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona, Professor Gordon Shirley after receiving his University of the West Indies Township Challenge Scholarship award recently. (Photo: Aston Spaulding)

Initially, Campbell thought of himself only as a proud parent. But with his children's education journey nearing an end, he deiced itw as time to pursue his dreams of higher education. And when the UWI Township Challenge Scholarship came about, he seized the opportunity.

"At age 61, I imagined myself as a successful parent, which means that my children would have achieved a satisfactory level of development and to that I have devoted my life. So all my wealth has been focused on their development so far; I am just getting my time," he said. "My lifelong dream has been to be on my own, to do business for myself, and whatever business I do, it should be linked to the community in that it helps the community to grow."

At the end of his three-year Management Studies programme at the UWI, Campbell, who is doing a major in entrepreneurship, hopes to develop a community business.

"I am a farmer; I have always been a farmer irrespective of anything else that I am doing," said Campbell. "I am interested in agro-industrial development. After the basic farm product is generated, what do you do with it? You package it, add value to it and get it into the market. That is where my focus is right now."

PRICE... has expressed support for her friend Robert Campbell's move to secure higher education. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

His devotion to his community is evident in his many endeavours that have helped to develop African Gardens in August Town, where he has been living for more than 30 years.

Campbell was born in St James but grew up in Inslington, St Mary, and is a past student of the St Mary High School. He was trained as a public health inspector at the West Indies School of Public Health and he worked at the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation for 15 years, before taking up a position with the Maintenance Department at the UWI.

He subsequently did freelance work as a community development specialist and as a construction supervisor. Campbell is now self-employed, but recalls one of his greatest life achievements as being a member of the Operation Pride team that did housing developments. He said that he assisted with the development of 120 providence societies and saw some 31,000 lots being developed. He is now the chairman of the second providence societies created - the African Gardens Development Limited.

Meanwhile, Campbell admits that getting back into the rhythm of school is difficult.

"It is challenging. I have to adjust my lifestyle back to studying. I have to develop more speed in working out mathematical problems," he noted. "Understanding them is not a problem but the amount of work that it takes to deal with a subject like accounting is challenging because accounting is a subject where you have to know everything; it has no space for selecting a topic and focusing on that topic."

Still, he said he is committed to making it work.

"I have not overcome the challenge yet but I am getting there, and I am determined to get there," he said, chuckling. "I have arranged with some other persons to assist me in interpreting some of the questions, because the classroom alone is not enough. Sometimes you just do not understand."

Among the challenges he faces is working working with computers.
"I am just now learning to manipulate the computer. When I shall have mastered that, I will be able to communicate online with the lecturers and be able to do my assignments and e-mail them to the lecturer," Campbell said.

Until then, he receives help from individuals working in the computer labs on campus.

The pressure is such sometimes, he said, that he wonders why he bothers. But one look at his 14-year-old daughter and reflection on his community keeps him going.

"As a result of my studying, she (my daughter) has stepped up and she is now involved in the athletics programme. She was an average student before, but she is working at it now, and I see some positive attitude," said Campbell. "I would like to motivate the younger people who would have a tendency to say 'it don't mek sense, I can't make it'. When they see a person of my age stepping forward and trying to do what I am trying to do, I hope it will be a very good motivating factor."

Already, he said, there are signs that it could be working.

"Some young people come to me and say 'Mr Campbell, I give thanks for you enuh, because I did feel like I want to give up you nuh, but I going to get there'. One young lady said that when she saw me up there at the award ceremony, she began to think about moving forward," he told Career & Education. "That is a success already to me, to see that people can look at me and say if he can do it then I can do it also. Even if I don't get any more success, that will be ok."
Poverty also helps to motivate Campbell.

"I do not like poverty and I do not think that we have to be poor. I like to see people develop, economically and otherwise. That is why I try to encourage all the young people around me to become educated," said the man who does container farming and animal rearing to support his family.

His friend, Dorothy Price told Career & Education that Campbell's move to complete his first degree is a positive one, which will help him to manage the community of African Gardens as well as communities on the outskirts.
For his part, the elderly Campbell, said that he was finding his footing at university.

And his message to out-of-school youths... "Never before in my life have I seen so many opportunities available for young people to develop themselves... Use up these opportunities available to you and move towards economic development."

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