Beauty, Brains and Talent – Sherona Forrester
   
Serving as head girl to the Glenmuir High School for the academic year 2009-2010, obtaining nine CSEC subjects - six ones, three twos and eight units of CAPE is this beauty, brains and talent Sherona Forrester. Not only is this young woman academically inclined but she also competitively plays four sports – netball, football, table tennis, and basketball. Where she also contributes pivotally to these sports, she was captain of the under seventeen Jamaica football team in 2007, and she was also top three point shooter in basketball at a sports conference held in Jamaica. So whether it is on the court, on the track or in academia Forrester epitomizes the true qualities of a phenomenal sports woman.

 Over the years Forrester knowing her reality of not being a part of a rich family developed a passion and dedication for everything that she became a part of. This fervor and enthusiasm for living life to the fullest has allowed Forrester, to be an involved individual thus contributing to her holistic development. It has also led her on a trek to the University of the West Indies where she is currently pursuing a major in Economics free of cost owing to the full sports scholarship that she received shortly after her acceptance to the University of The West Indies.

Forrester’s knowledge of the scholarship came to her while the University of The West Indies was at her school promoting their first year programme and the sports scholarships, she admits that “initially I never sign the form and my friend having knowledge of the number of sports I actively played encouraged me to sign the form” and there after filling in all the sports, academia and extra-curricular activities that she participated in, another chapter in this determined and selfless young lady began. Forrester exclaims that when she received the call that she was a recipient of one the full sports scholarships she was elated based on the fact that “it’s not very easy to find over two hundred thousand dollars to pay for school fee. I thought I really had to jump on the opportunity to be able to use my talent to pay for my tuition and take the burden off my parents”. Although the correspondent on the ground Rashid Hall, Assistant Sports Coordinator for the University’s Sport Department was very impressed with this beauty, brains and talent, Forrester was still fearful of the outcome because she knows that there are a lot of talented students in Jamaica and the market is not as easy as before. Forrester is however sure that it has impacted on her life in a very positive way, especially economically since she had stated before is not from a rich family and certainly not an only child.

This energizer bunny upon her arrival at the University of the West Indies continued to live up to her leadership abilities as she was nominated Fresher Zone Captain, Fresher Cluster Representative, Fresher Prestonite of the Year, Most Outstanding Female Fresher sports woman of the year and presently Deputy Cluster Representative at the Aston Preston Hall. Throughout all of this Forrester continues to make strides at the University of The West Indies where although she is talented with the capability to playing four sports she will be playing mainly Football and Netball for the University and although she can play seven positions on a netball team her main focus on the University’s team will be that of Goal Attack and Goal Shooter for the upcoming season. She exclaims that the training “is a bit challenging especially with the fitness part, you have to do a lot of running and you have to be telling yourself you can do it”.
 
With Gregory Simms as one of her major role model Forrester remains grounded extracting from Simms determination, strategic planning, and leadership Qualities. Therefore for Simms to have “achieved so much in the space of approximately twenty three years his leadership qualities makes me aspire to be the best leader I can and it also shows me different methods so you don’t have to be a slave driver for people to do things you can rap with them and gain their trust” thus they will participate wholeheartedly. Furthermore Forrester has a passion for leading so she is determined to use Simms model as a guide.

To conclude Forrester had this to say to persons who would want to achieve both academically and physically “don’t just do it, love it and don’t take your talent for granted because you never know what you need to call on as a case in point I can sing, dance and act but you never know which one of your talents you will need so develop as many of them as you can while paying attention to your academic pursuit which is what I tell people finding the balance. “Work hard if you want to achieve”



Sasha-Gaye Fraser

UWI Sports Department Writer