Walking through the gates of the University of the West Indies, Mona, I carried with me a scholarship, a dream, and the pride of earning fourteen Grade Ones. I believed I had mastered the formula for success. High school had conditioned me to excel through discipline and repetition—study hard, earn high grades, repeat. I expected the university to follow the same rhythm. What I did not know then was that this campus would challenge every assumption I held about myself, breaking me down only to rebuild me into a stronger, more grounded woman.

I entered UWI as a major in Energy and Environmental Physics, driven by a passion for sustainable solutions and scientific problem-solving. My early confidence, however, quickly met reality. The first year was a profound wake-up call. I had no roadmap, no mentor, and no real understanding of how fundamentally different university life would be. I joined spaces such as Circle K and explored interests like Medical Physics with enthusiasm, but outside the classroom, my life began to unravel. Family challenges emerged unexpectedly, and the structure I once relied on collapsed.

I missed classes. Assignments slipped past deadlines. My GPA declined. Then came the moment that felt like the ultimate failure: my scholarship was revoked. That loss cut deeply. It felt like a public confirmation of every private doubt—that perhaps I was not capable of surviving, much less thriving, in such a demanding degree.

That year humbled me. It taught me that a strong beginning does not guarantee a smooth journey. But it also awakened something deeper in me: the will to fight for myself. Through sleepless nights, relentless revision, and long study sessions filled with laughter and perseverance alongside a friend who refused to let me give up, I rebuilt my academic foundation. I learned how to ask for help without shame, manage my time with intention, and redefine what hard work truly meant.

By my second year, not only was my Sagicor Foundation Scholarship reinstated, but I achieved one of my proudest accomplishments—I topped the department, earning the Departmental Prize with a 3.61 GPA. That moment was more than an academic victory. It was proof that failure is not final and that resilience, when paired with discipline, can rewrite any narrative.

My journey, however, was not done testing me.

Final year arrived with new challenges and one unforgettable trial. On the morning of my Solar Power exam, my life changed in an instant. A car crash left me injured, shaken, and surrounded by hospital lights and worried faces. The fear in my parents’ eyes is something I will never forget. Yet amid the pain, confusion, and uncertainty, my mind held onto one thing: I needed to finish what I had started.

Sitting in a wheelchair, neck braced, pain surging with every movement, I made my way to that exam room. I declined special assistance—not out of pride, but out of necessity. I needed to prove to myself that resilience was not just a concept I admired in others; it was a quality I had cultivated within myself. Three hours later, exhausted and hurting, I submitted that exam knowing I had given everything I had.

Months later, seeing the A+ on that course felt like quiet validation from the universe—an acknowledgement of every obstacle faced and every moment I chose perseverance over surrender.

Today, I graduate with a Second Class Honours (Upper) degree in Energy and Environmental Physics, induction into the Physics Honor Society with a 3.75 semester GPA, and experience tutoring students across the region for CSEC and CAPE STEM subjects. These achievements matter deeply to me, but they are not the full story. The true success lies in who I became along the way—someone who understands that resilience is built in moments of loss, recovery, and unwavering commitment to purpose.

My journey at UWI did not follow the straight line I once imagined. Instead, it carved depth, strength, and perspective into my character. And for that, I am profoundly grateful.