Amoy finds success after hard road to first-class honours
Published:Tuesday | August 1, 2023 | 12:07 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
For Amoy Farquharson, the journey to obtaining her first-class honours Bachelor of Education degree in Mathematics Education, from the MICO University College this year, was not an easy one.
The newly appointed ambassador for the Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation, of which she was a previous scholarship recipient, said that in addition to not knowing how she would pay for her tuition or apply for a loan to pay her way to start, both she and her mother were robbed at gunpoint during her final year of college.
“In 2018, I started university without knowing how I would support myself. I am from a single-parent household in which my mom, she is the breadwinner for my family, and as she always does, she encouraged me to start university without knowing what would happen. But she encouraged me to do it anyway, and I went ahead and I took the leap of faith,” said Farquharson, who was the guest speaker at the annual Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation’s Awards Ceremony held last Friday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
HAPPY YET UNCERTAIN
After passing all eight subjects she purused at the Caribbean Examination Council’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations in high school, and being accepted by MICO University, Farquharson applied to numerous places for scholarships and bursaries, but none gave her a positive response.
“That was the celebration phase of my life. Then I became very uncertain [about going to university]. I got nervous, unsure, and even doubtful about the unpredictable phase of my life. That is just a synopsis of the roller coaster journey I was on during the period of ending high school to starting college,” Farquharson said.
“It was very hectic. You would have thought the roller coaster journey ended once I started college, [but] no, it did not.”
On the other hand, her story was shared by a former teacher of hers with the Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation, who then reached out to her and offered financial help.
“The most surprising thing for me was that the Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation contacted me,” she said.
Some time after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the pressures of life started again, she considered taking a leave of absence, given that she did not have all the resources needed to continue her studies. However, Avril Scarlett, executive director of the Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation, told her not to.
“My journey was not looking steady for a while, [and] further down in the academic year, very close to finals when assignments were due and the pressure is very hard and it’s time for revision in preparation for finals exams. My mom and I, we were walking and we were held at gunpoint, sadly, and everything that we had at the time was stolen from us, and I borrowed a friend of a friend’s laptop, who was not necessarily my friend. I borrowed it just to get my assignments done because I didn’t own any, and I was unable to stay at cafés late just because of the area I was living in,” Farquharson said.
“I also had my books with me, all of which were taken as well. And my notes were all gone. At this point, I was really ready to give up completely, find a job, call it quits and say ‘at least I tried’.”
EXTREMELY GRATEFUL
After that devastating robbery, Scarlett again encouraged her to continue, and she would replace the stolen laptop.
Farquharson said she is extremely grateful for Scarlett, who, on behalf of the foundation, taps into the spiritual life of the recipients by hosting Bible studies and seminars.
“The foundation doesn’t just focus on the applicant who applies for monetary assistance, but they also seek to find the individuals who need the support ... . I appreciate them most for building relationships with the recipients and being a part of each person’s journey while we accomplish our goals,” Farquharson said.
Farquharson said she was extremely grateful, relieved, and excited for the help received from the Each 1 Reach 1 Foundation as it was not only about paying her tuition, but also a training ground for her.
Though education is its main focus, the foundation is very versatile in providing assistance to the homeless, shut-ins, small businesses, communities, and others in Jamaica.
Her words of encouragement to persons going through a similar battle as she did are: “It’s definitely going to be a rough road ahead. You’re going to have hardships. You’re going to have goals and sometimes you’re going to even be stuck on a plateau, but don’t allow yourself to be defeated. Delayed, but not defeated.”