Kijana Johnson has been a part of the University of the West Indies, Mona cricket team for the past two years. He currently plays for the Senior team and the Inter-Col team. He has made significant impact on both teams and puts out his all in each math that he plays. He been there with his team when they win and when they lose. He has played a part in some of their victories because as a bowler, the main aim is to take wickets and he tries his best to do so every time he bowls. The Inter-Col team has recently won the finals of the Inter-Col competition and he was a part of this significant event for the team.His believes in hard work and dedication which makes him a great player. His journey as a cricketer started from a young age and he has been growing and getting better with every passing day.
His cricket journey started at the Race Course Primary School in Clarendon. He was a member of the football team there, however one day while having a friendly match among friends at the school, the coach then saw him bowling and told him that he was not going to play football anymore because he had the cricket talent.
Kijana believed him and from that moment on, he has been involved in cricket. His love for cricket grew as he practiced more and got better at bowling. He carried the love to his high school, where from first form he got involved in cricket. Some of his proudest moments in high school was when he took 5 wickets for 10 runs against Vere Technical High School in an Under 15 Competition. This match was the first game he had played for the school and it allowed him to realize that he had the talent for a sport like this. In the Headly Cup competition he took 8 wickets for 18 runs in the second round of the competition against St Thomas High School. Also he took 4 wickets for 24 runs against Vere Technical High School in another round of the same competition. He regards these moments his proudest because this was where he found that through hard work and practice he can do anything.
Cricket has also made a positive impact on his life because it taught him patience, how to have self confidence and that it is possible to persevere for other goals and achieve them. He would like to play cricket at the international level and believes to achieve this it would take a lot of dedication, hard work and discipline.
Young people in his Water Lane community, especially the young men see him as a role model because they see him train and see the hard work that he as been putting in to get better. One young man told him that he would like to be like him when he grows up. Kijana Johnson would like to teach the young men in his community how to perfect their talent and the love they have for cricket.
His motto in life is:
#eat, sleep, work hard, repeat
# I believe in progress.