MoBay’s son Demoy Kerr destroying stereotypes

The Saturday before he sat the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) in 2009, Demoy Kerr's father, Dwight, was killed in the United States.

This took a serious toll on his family - physically, economically, and emotionally.

However, his mother, Michelle, not wanting to burden him with the news at the time, kept his father's death a secret until after his exams had passed. Kerr, who hails from Princess Street in Montego Bay, earned a place at Cornwall College.

Now, 10 years later, Kerr has completed a law degree at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and is preparing to undertake professional studies at the Norman Manley Law School.

Following his father's death, things became harder on Kerr's family.

"Though my mother worked, his passing really affected us economically because we relied on him for the most part, and now, we had to rely on my mother's income to send me to school, which really was not enough," he said.

His father's death also meant that Kerr lost the most important male figure in his life. Coupled with that, Kerr was also faced with the learning disorder dyscalculia (severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations) from a young age.

"Initially, I wanted to be a doctor. In high school I studied sciences all the way up to the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level, but my results weren't as beautiful as I wanted them to be, and that was another push factor for me to do law," he said.

So he decided to pursue the arts at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination level. He got excellent grades and was accepted into the UWI law programme.

Kerr, who lives by the mantra 'be the change you wish to see', has been breaking barriers and destroying stereotypes, one achievement at a time.

VARIOUS AWARDS

He has received various accolades such as the Governor General's Achievement Awards for St James in 2017.

Along with his full involvement in school activities, Kerr is also an active member of Generation 2000's Mona Chapter, which he joined in 2017, and served as policy chair.

"I believe that politics not only hones your leadership skills as a person, but also allows you to have a sense of compassion and understanding for people who are fed up of the system and would want to see a change," he said. "So instead of saying 'politics is all about corruption' and 'I want no part in it' like many young people, I actually believe that if I actually have a seat at the table, then there is some difference I can bring about."

A proud son of MoBay, Kerr says he has been working closely with various stakeholders to show off the positives of St James. He dreams of becoming prime minister some day.