Jahnell Nelson trying to beat the odds against him. CONTRIBUTED
Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer
LAND SETTLEMENT, Manchester:JAHNELL NELSON is a young man who is driven by sheer ambition despite the financial difficulties he faces at present.
Nelson currently works at a carwash in his community where he earns an income to send himself to school.
Nelson is from Land Settlement district in Manchester where he lives with his mother and stepfather. He attended McIntosh Primary followed by Christiana High then transferred to Bellefield High School.
He is a very humble and well-mannered young man who is very focused on where he wants to reach in life and the steps he needs to take to get there.
The 18-year-old is currently enrolled at the Newport South West Heart Trust/NTA centre, where he is pursuing a course in electrical installation. "I am presently at Level 2, and I will be going up to Level 3, where, upon completion, I will get a diploma," Nelson disclosed.
Nelson has been working at the carwash for 11 months. "I have made up my mind that I have to do this to carry me through," he stated. "I am not going to let anything stop me from achieving my goal of being an electrical engineer."
Commenting on what gives him the drive to succeed, he said: "My father dropped out of high school when he was in grade 9. I didn't want the same thing to happen to me in not getting a solid education. So I told myself that I am going to make the difference. I am going to go all the way until I get a degree no matter how hard it is financially at this moment."
Nelson is a source of inspiration for his co-workers.
"I always try and encourage them to go back to school," he said. "They respect what I am doing, and it also encourages them to follow my example. One of them right now said he will be going back to school in September."
He continued: "I hate to see guys just on the road doing nothing with their lives. You have to know what you want out of life and work towards it."
Despite the setbacks at times, he doesn't allow himself to be daunted and hasmaintained his focus.
"I have to keep my focus. I am just looking ahead to getting that diploma thengetting a job so that I can pay my way through college and obtain my degree," he said.
