‘The sky was always the limit’

WESTERN BUREAU:

On Wednesday, when Jamaican-born educator Kamar Samuels was appointed chancellor of New York City public schools by Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, the decision placed him at the helm of the largest public school system in the United States.

For his mother, Dorian Samuels, the moment was both extraordinary and deeply familiar.

“I always believed the sky was the limit for my one child,” she said. “What we are seeing today is by God’s grace and God’s mercy.”

The appointment caps a journey that began far from New York’s corridors of power, in a Jamaican household where faith, discipline and education were non-negotiable, and where a young boy learned early how to balance joy with responsibility.

Samuels said nothing made her prouder than hearing her son repeatedly described as “Jamaican-born” as news of his appointment spread across major media networks in the United States.

“Just hearing ‘Jamaican-born’, it exhilarated me,” she said. “That meant everything.”

As a child growing up in Jamaica, Kamar was playful and jovial, his mother recalled, often surrounded by cousins, laughter and sport. He played football, tried his hand at cricket, and enjoyed the freedom of childhood, but never without structure.

“He loved church, and he was very focused on his school work,” she said. “Even then, you could see leadership.”

That leadership surfaced repeatedly, at Hope Valley Experimental School, during his years at Jamaica College, and within the church community at Hope United Church, where he was active in Sunday school and youth fellowship.

“Kamar always showed leadership from a very early age,” his mother said. “It didn’t matter where he was.”

At home, prayer anchored daily life.

“Prayer was the centre of our lifestyle,” she said. “I always told him the family that prays together stays together.”

But faith was paired with balance. Kamar was encouraged to enjoy friendships and family, while knowing when playtime ended and responsibility began, a discipline she says still defines how he works today.

“That discipline came from home in Jamaica,” she said. “Living in Jamaica until age 15 also gave him a deep appreciation for cultural diversity, which he carries into the American system with integrity.”

In 1991, Samuels migrated to the United States ahead of her son, laying the groundwork for his education. Kamar joined her in 1993, after attending Jamaica College, and the two would live together in the US for more than three decades.

“It was an awesome experience growing together in the American system,” she said.

A registered nurse for more than 45 years, Samuels worked tirelessly to ensure education remained the foundation of progress. She retired in Jamaica in 2024, closing a chapter marked by sacrifice and intention.

Few people realise that Kamar’s first degree was in accounting and finance. After three years in the field, he made a life-altering decision to switch to education.

“He will tell you I was the reason he studied accounting,” she said with a laugh. “But choosing education, that was his decision. And I supported him fully.”

That choice, she believes, shaped the leader he has become.

“I taught him how to make choices,” she said. “And this is the result of one he made for himself.”

Now 48, Samuels is a father of three, Joseph, 16, Leila, six, and Kira, two, with his second wife of five years Margaret and, in his mother’s words, a lifelong high achiever. Yet she is quick to point out that his journey was never a solo effort.

“It truly took a village,” she said, crediting grandparents, aunts, cousins and extended family who surrounded him with guidance and love. “There was always an auntie. Always someone showing care.”

And always laughter.

“If Kamar is in a room, he’s the centre of attention,” she said. “His laughter is louder than everybody else’s.”

As her son assumes responsibility for a school system serving more than one million students, her message to young Jamaicans, especially young Black men, is unwavering.

Samuels said her belief in endless possibility for her son was reinforced by history unfolding in real time.

“We saw Barack Obama become President of the United States,” she said. “That was one of the hallmarks that encouraged Kamar to focus on whatever he wanted to do. It showed young Black men that there are no limits.”

For her, Obama’s presidency was not abstract inspiration, but confirmation that ambition, preparation and faith could align to break barriers once thought unreachable.

It is that same conviction she now shares with young Jamaicans, particularly young Black men.

“Look to the skies and the stars,” she urged. “There are endless possibilities. Whether you stay in Jamaica or go abroad, the opportunities are there. Never think it’s impossible.”

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com