From helping his mother sell in Coronation Market, west Kingston, to becoming the first person in his family to acquire a degree, Carlton Barrows says he is now determined to earn his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Barrows, 32, who is from Tate District in Kellits, Clarendon, is a senior lab technologist at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. But he said his journey to attain his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biotechnology had not been easy.

“I assisted mom in the market, especially during the holidays. Mom would leave home Sunday evening and return Friday night. During my time in the market with her, I saw so many scary things at nights that opened my eyes to the realities of Jamaican society,” he said.

Barrows had been attending Brown’s Town Community College but decided to complete his degree at UWI.