Tennecia Walker strives to achieve success, wins
TENNECIA Walker grew up in Trench Town, Kingston, with her mother and older sister. Her parents separated when she was very young, leaving her mother with the burden of rearing two girls on her own.
Life in Trench Town was the typical everyday routine of housework and schoolwork, punctuated occasionally by gunshots that would have residents running for cover.
For Walker this was reality, and many days were spent worrying about her mom’s safety, due largely to the fact that she had to be up as early as 3:00 am to prepare for work as a conductress at the state-owned bus company. Both girls had to be up too, assisting mom with the daily preparations, and at times Walker felt overwhelmed by the constant pressure. Being up so early in the mornings, at times she would be tired before the first period of school, but she had no room for failure because at the back of her mind she wanted to do well and knew that in order to be able to provide for herself, she had to work hard.
Enrolled in the Government’s PATH programme, which provided much needed funds, and driven by the fact that most girls in her community had limited opportunities and thus became victims of the system, Walker saw education as the only catalyst for achieving success.
But by the time she started high school, things took a turn for the worse. There was an outbreak of violence between two warring factions and safety was threatened. This impacted the first former’s ability to interact with her peers and she became withdrawn and would not participate in class. She was more concerned with the pressure of going home each day to hear about the death of someone she knew, as people were dropping like flies in the raging battle for power.
Then one night Walker was awakened by her mother’s sobbing. Her mother refused to talk about the source of her sadness, but next morning ordered both girls to meet her at their uncle’s house in Portmore, St Catherine, after school.
When they arrived there, their mother explained that the leader of one of the gangs had sent word to her that he would be ‘needing’ Walker as his ‘princess’ very soon and that the mother should prepare the child for him.
The older girl, who was 15 at the time, might have been overlooked, Walker surmised, because she was a pious, Bible-toting Christian.
It would be another 12 years before Walker mustered the courage to visit the community again.
Life in Edgewater was a far contrast from the constant sounds of gunfire and panic associated with her former neighbourhood. And so young Walker settled in and thrived in this stable environment. Her mother was transferred from Kingston to Portmore so the children could breathe a sigh of relief, as they were not required to be up at 3:00 am as was the usual practice.
Walker’s transformation was tremendous. She became active at Holy Childhood High, participating in several extracurricular activities. She made the football team and joined the magazine committee. She was successful in eight CXC subjects.
Though sixth form was not an option because of mounting expenses, Walker was still determined that education was the road to success, even though it had to be derailed temporarily by the need to work to help out.
At 20, and after being in the working world for a few years, Walker applied and was accepted to the Exed Community College/UTech programme to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in tourism management.
With financial backing from an overseas benefactor, Walker finished her programme, all the while ensuring that her grades were always high, and she never failed a single course during the programme.
After graduation came job-hunting, and in 2010 she was employed to the University College of the Caribbean as a clerk in the graduate studies department. Less than a year later she was recommended and interviewed for a full-time position as the programme officer – information technology.
Walker has risen steadily up the ranks, most recently to being the coordinator – applied psychology, social work and education.
She attributes her gains to her work ethic, excellent customer service and her drive to succeed.
“Never give up on your dreams,” are her words of encouragement to young girls, especially those living in the inner city.
“Raise the bar and work hard to achieve success.”