Junior aka Amit has a story to tell of how he earned his CSEC passes in the face of tremendous adversities. He recalls many days of laughing and talking with friends who were unaware of how broke and hungry he was in several classes. He recalls that after failing Common Entrance he dropped out of school in form 1 to work and assist his sick mother who subsequently died. He continued working and finally gave himself a second chance and returned to school at 19 years old with the support of his aunt Ms. Nesha Ferreira. Despite her support for transport and tuition fees, Junior later realised that he still came up short on many days with little to eat and increasing expenses in the likeness of school materials. This prompted him to seek employment at a nearby mechanic shop where he was grateful to be allowed to work whenever he needed.
He would occasionally work on weekends or miss a few days of school when necessary to buy textbooks or rations for the week. Sometimes even that was not enough and Junior found himself walking to and from school on many days.
Despite what he was going through, his determination was stronger than his circumstances and he made use of the time he had and was often seen studying quietly in school.
His advice to people who are in similar situation as he was in is to “not give up, no matter how hard it gets, try harder. The feeling you get at the end of the journey is worth all the pains during the process.”
Junior earned a grade one pass in POA, 6 Grade 2s and 3 Grade 3s and wants to eventually become an entrepreneur. The mechanic is currently working to save enough money to start ACCA classes. He dedicates his passes to his aunt Ms. Nesha Ferreira and thanks her for giving him a second chance at life.
Let’s congratulate Amit and share his story to inspire someone in similar circumstances.
-Sponsor a child’s education and register at IBE Interactive
Source:  IBE INTERACTIVE September 24, 2020

 New Chief of Staff and Assistant Dean for Diversity at University of California, Berkeley.
In June, we featured Dr. Denzil Streete who, at that time was the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Development and Diversity at Yale University, Connecticut, United States. As a young boy, growing up in Morvant, Trinidad and oftentimes not having the necessary schoolbooks, he still persevered and pursued a sound education as his way out of poverty. He is also an avid reader who believes in the power of reading to transform lives. Over the last few years, he and a group of friends have donated over 1000 books to various school libraries across the country. Dr Streete also dedicates his time to motivating students to overcome their current circumstances. He tells us “an obstacle is a terrible thing to waste”.
In July, Dr. Streete became the new Chief of Staff and Assistant Dean for Diversity at University of California, Berkeley. With a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education with a specialization in Economics of Education, Dr. Streete’s research interest include access and equity in higher education, the “Free College Movement’ and minoritised males in higher education.
In a statement on the university’s website, Dr Streete said “I can think of no better time to engage campus partners on the issues of diversity and belonging, while taking an equity-minded approach to this work.” (https://grad.berkeley.edu)
Best wishes, Denzil! Source:  MENtions-Stories About Us Sept 3, 2020