Peanut cake vendor turns midwife - Woman endures years of sacrifice to qualify for dream job

From selling peanut cakes on the streets to support her family to becoming a registered nurse and midwife, Tanya Earle-Gayle's journey is a testament to her resilience and unwavering determination.

As a single mother of two, Earle-Gayle said that finding stable employment was a constant challenge. Yet, fuelled by ambition, the then 40-year-old made a bold decision in 2012 to change her circumstances.

"When I was younger, I worked at various clerical institutions, but ... it was always contract work, even though I had my subjects," she told THE STAR. Determined to find stability, she applied to teachers' college, nursing schools, a midwifery programme, and the police force.

"I told myself, whichever college accepted me first, that's where I'm going. And people always told me I sounded like a teacher or a policewoman, so I figured I'd try applying for those," she said.

However, neither the teachers' colleges nor the police force responded to her applications, and the midwifery programme rejected her. To her relief, she was accepted into the University of Technology Jamaica's (UTech, Jamaica) nursing programme, marking the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

"I was so excited, even though I didn't know where the money was coming from. It felt good to have some direction of what I was going to do next," Earle-Gayle said. Starting university, however, came with significant financial challenges, as both of her children were in high school at the time.

"The first day I started UTech was the same day of my daughter's first orientation at Meadowbrook [High School] and my son was in fourth form at KC (Kingston College) at that time. So in order to send them and send myself to school, every evening when I go home, no matter what time I leave campus, I go home and make my peanut cake and drops to sell," Earle-Gayle said.

She said that her children "just had to work with what I had".

"There were times I had no money and I would have to ensure that I go out because peanut cake and drops have to sell the evening so I can get a bus fare for them to go to school the next day," she added.

The challenges didn't end there, however, because after completing her studies and graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in 2016, Earle-Gayle subsequently failed her licensing exam to become a registered nurse. She retook the exam in 2017 but failed again.

"I didn't bother to do it in 2018 because can you imagine you spend four years at university, you have your degree, and you're unable to work because they don't have a system in place where you can work with the degree only and not the licence?" Earle-Gayle said, adding that this setback devastated her.

"Even though I did what I had to do to care for my children, I felt like I couldn't progress, and it was difficult because in those three years of not progressing, I didn't have a job. All I could do is sell my peanut cakes and ensure my children go to school," Earle-Gayle said.

But Earle-Gayle decided to try the licensing exam in 2019, and this time, she passed. Shortly after, she began working at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, where she found fulfilment, and developed a deep passion for caring for her patients. This sparked her desire to further her education once again.

So, in 2023, she returned to UTech, Jamaica, to pursue a postgraduate certification in midwifery. And, last Friday, with a bright smile on her face, Earle-Gayle proudly walked across the stage to collect her certificate, just in time for her 52nd birthday, which she will celebrate tomorrow.

"This has done wonders for me and I feel so excited that I'm able to progress. Before this, there was once a time I could barely help myself because I wasn't working, and now if I want to sit in a restaurant and eat I can do that without having to worry about if I have enough money," Earle-Gayle said.

The newly minted midwife encouraged others to actively seek opportunities that will help them to grow and build a better, more comfortable life for themselves and their families.