In the early years of prep school, Kiarrah Wisdom could not read. The situation was so dire that her mother, Nekeshia Gray, became concerned that something could have been wrong.
However, through hard work and determination, Kiarrah is now the JN Foundation Scholarship recipient for the parish of St James after she achieved a score of 387.4 in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams. This was enough to place her at her school of first choice, Montego Bay High School.
“Kiarrah’s story is very inspiring,” said Gray. “Up to grade two she was unable to read. I remember, one Saturday, I was with her at piano class and I gave her a book which was outside of the regular scope of books and she was unable to break down the words.”
She added, “I became concerned and I asked myself, ‘What is this?’ I pulled her from piano lessons, while her sister continued. I took her to Fontana Pharmacy and asked her to choose a book that she liked, to get her to start reading. She chose a book that she wanted to read and for two terms, every Saturday, that’s what we did– sat under a tree in Mr Gilzene’s yard and read.”
Both Kiarrah and her mother are so appreciative of the book that they have refused to part with it.
“We still have the book, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, because it is one of those that we haven’t given away,” Gray shared.
For Kiarrah, overcoming that hurdle meant that she could excel in her academics at school. Her efforts were rewarded when she was named as the JN Foundation PEP Scholar for St James. The JN Foundation Scholarship is awarded to students who excel in external exams at the primary level for the past 40 years.
This year, the JN Foundation awarded a total of 47 scholarships. Of the amount, 37 were five-year awards: 14 parish scholarships; three JN Bank Easi-Save County scholarships; and 20 children of JN Group staff members who received the Building Excellence and Achieving More Success (BEAMS) scholarships. The remaining 10 awards were one-time grants presented by JN Money Services Limited to high-performing students who did not receive full scholarships.
“I have been working hard since grade three and put in a lot of effort to do well, because I wanted to go to my first choice, Montego Bay High School,” she said. “I wanted to get a scholarship, and believed that I could get one.”
The 12-year-old, who said mathematics was her favourite subject and hopes to become an accountant, said although she was confident that she could achieve a scholarship, she was still nervous about the possibility of not doing as well as she wanted.
“I was a little nervous while studying because I kept asking myself, what if I don’t get to go to the school of my first choice or make my family proud? I decided to study hard and put my trust in God that I would do well,” she added.
Gray is extremely proud of her daughter’s achievements and credits the success to Kiarrah’s dedication.
“Her memory is super good. However, before PEP she [had]put in a lot of effort. She was always up before 5 a.m., studying and then got ready for school before I even got up. She was very determined,” explained Gray.
“We are very happy because she really wanted to go to her first choice, Montego Bay High School, because her older sister attends the institution and is in fourth form; and she was adamant that she wanted to be with her older sister,” the mother added.
Gray describes Kiarrah, who is the second of three daughters, as being very exuberant.
“Kiarrah is smack in the middle of my three children, but she doesn’t behave as a middle child. She is very rambunctious. You have to remember her whenever you interact with her. She doesn’t allow anyone to overshadow her, and she is always determined to make her mark wherever she goes,” she said.
As she immerses herself to the challenge of high school, Kiarrah is determined to follow the footsteps of her mother by choosing a similar path.
“I love numbers, that’s why mathematics is my favourite subject. I love it because I hope to become an accountant,” she said.
Gray added, “She likes my job because I am a chartered accountant, and this is the reason she wants to follow my footsteps.”
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