Sarah Taylor balancing nursing studies and poultry farming

Sarah Taylor, a 22-year-old nursing student and poultry farmer, has found her stride in balancing academia and entrepreneurship.

Born and raised in St Ann, Taylor’s life took a transformative turn three years ago when she relocated to Bamboo, Ebenezer district, describing it as “a community on the hillside”. Attending the Brown’s Town Community College School of Nursing, which has a programme in conjunction with The University of the West Indies, Mona, Taylor is pursuing a four-year nursing programme. Reflecting on her academic journey, she admitted that it has been a rough one.

“Because nursing is a lot of theory and practical combined together, and they give us a short space of time to actually know the material. But I’ve been hanging on, I’ve been coping and I’m on the last year, so I can’t complain,” she said.

Taylor acknowledges the support she receives from her family and her poultry business.

“Financially, I have been managing because I get support from my business as well as my parents, and I have a brother living overseas as well who supports me,” she said. Taylor’s venture into poultry farming stemmed from her childhood fascination with chickens, nurtured by her mother’s own chicken-raising endeavours.

“And then when I actually moved to Bamboo, my uncle there, he has a farm, he has a coop as well; and then I got the idea to start my chicken business, and my uncle gave me that little push,” she said.

Balancing the demands of academia and entrepreneurship, Taylor relies on familial support to maintain her poultry business when her studies take up her time.

“Whenever I am at school, he (her uncle) feeds the chickens and keeps up the condition of the coop, which allows me to focus on academics,” she explained.

With aspirations to compete with established brands, Taylor emphasises branding and cleanliness in her business. Incorporating her nursing knowledge into her poultry business, Taylor prioritises sterility and sanitation, drawing parallels between hospital aseptic techniques and poultry handling.

“Chickens is stuff that the persons are going to be eating, [so] you know it has to be sanitary and sterile. So I can have a good business and a good background,” she said. Motivated by her community and school family, Taylor finds encouragement in their reliance on her poultry supplies for gatherings.

“I just feel a little encouraged to know that, yes, the school can ask me to supply them with chickens and stuff like that. So it gives me a little boost,” she said.

Refusing to be constrained by societal norms, Taylor encourages others, particularly females, to pursue their ambitions without limitations.

“I know that the poultry farming, most females wouldn’t do it because they know they’re saying that it’s chicken, and picking chicken could be gross for some. But the philosophy that I like is, ‘ambition over hype, always’,” she said.

Undeterred by perceptions of her appearance conflicting with her agricultural endeavours, Taylor remains resolute in her pursuit of financial independence and academic success.

“I’m doing this so I can fund myself, because it helps to fund me throughout school, and I don’t have to put a burden on my parents,” she said. “So I’m just thinking about all of that, and the encouragement, to just give me a little drive and a little boost to not ‘watch any face’ and just do what I have to do. Because at the end of the day, I’m benefiting from it.”