Teen achieving despite financial struggles

Papine High School student Nathan Morrison, 16, is normally a quiet individual, but he is far from being passive.

The fifth-form student, who hails from the Lower Halls Delight community in rural St Andrew, is normally engaged with his surroundings, but like Germany-born physicist Albert Einstein, who he admires greatly, he says he likes to think things through before he chimes in. His fellow students, teachers, family and neighbours consider him to be a gem.

"He has been a very good child, very cooperative and loving. He is also very calm and helpful in the home. Any mother would love to have a son like him," says his mother, Tanya Morrison.

Despite his pleasant demeanour, Nathan's journey has been nothing short of challenging. With his father being the only breadwinner in the family of four, his pursuit of education has not been seamless.

"I am doing well in school, but there can be some improvements. It has been somewhat challenging, but I continue to work hard and do my best," he said. Nathan takes the long road from his home as early as 9 a.m. for his afternoon-shift classes that start at 12:30 p.m.

"If I do not leave at that time or before that, I will be late for school. It is difficult to get transportation after that time. When I get to school, most times I am early, so I get to do some revision, or other schoolwork that I have to get done," Nathan said. Morrison said that she encourages him to be the best version of himself.

"His schoolwork has fluctuated during this period, especially in mathematics. I have to keep working with him to keep him interested in the subject, so that he continues to do his best," she said. Nathan is resolute that he will achieve his dreams and has remained undaunted by his financial challenges. His prayers were answered when he was selected as a participant in the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination Preparation Programme. He was among a group of 1000 students who received assistance with his preparations for the 2022 CSEC examinations.

Nathan is preparing to sit a number of subjects, including biology, chemistry and information technology. He aspires to become a dermatologist and envisions himself attending The University of the West Indies to make this dream a reality. At the end of the three-month session, Nathan took the overall top prize for English language. He received a laptop and other items, courtesy of the foundation. Grateful for the opportunity, he said that he has already seen improvements in his subject areas.

"I could access the platform if I missed a class and I could still get the work done," he said. "I followed the timetable and I plan to review the classes, watch the videos and practise," he said.

Morrison said that the programme has helped the family greatly.

"We were very anxious and contemplated how we were going to afford extra lessons for him. I hope with this assistance that he will continue to do his best," she said.