The Michael Bailey Story

Being an academic trailblazer would be a dream for 19-year-old Michael Bailey, a first-generation university student from St. Thomas. Michael, a proud Morant Bay High School graduate, attained 16 subjects, including 11 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and 8 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) subjects. He also earned the prestigious award of top student in CSEC Principles of Business and CAPE Economics and was an honor roll student for 2015, 2016, and 2019.

With the strong support of his parents and his resilience and grit, he was able to excel academically and navigate the college admissions process. Michael recounts that his most outstanding achievement is participating in a competitive scholarship summer program at the University of California. This experience ignited his desire to pursue his future studies in the US.

Michael with his mother at the airport.

For the Fall 2021 semester, he earned admission to eight (8) universities in the US and Jamaica and the following scholarships:

  • The Waldorf University Pillars Scholarship,
  • Atlanta Jamaica Association dianabol online Scholarship,
  • Elevate Scholarship and
  • First Generation First Scholarship, and
  • The prestigious Maryville’s College International Diversity Scholarship; which is awarded to one international student each year

Relief from Poverty

Notwithstanding his high achievement and unselfish acts of service, Michael was not immune to academic and financial challenges. He recalled struggling academically during the first two years of high school due to a lack of effort on his part.

These failures were, however, teachable moments for him as he learned first-hand that “what you put in, you get out,” and therefore, he would need to work harder to achieve better results. With higher returns on investment, Michael became very passionate about learning and later took it upon himself to lessen his parents’ financial burdens by photographing notes in texts books rather than requiring them to purchase the books. He saved money from his allowance during his senior year of high school to pay for his SAT examination registration fee.

Michael accepted a full scholarship to Maryville College in Tennessee, USA, and started on August 16, 2021.

 

 

 

My Story – Sashalee Beasley

         My name is Sashalee Beasley, and this has been one of my most significant philosophies in life since I was a child. During childhood, I understood that I was underprivileged compared to my peers. However, this did not deter me from thriving for success; it motivated me more.

        I grew up in Montpelier District, St. James – a rural area of Jamaica in a single-parent household with my mother and siblings. She was a domestic worker who occasionally worked two jobs to cover our financial needs despite earning minimum wage. Even though I was a child, I took notice of the predicament I was facing and would often hustle at school by selling sweets to ease some of the financial strain off my mother and help provide for myself. However, there were times when it became overbearing, and it was sometimes a challenge to balance schoolwork because it affected me emotionally. Still, my dream to become a doctor kept me motivated every step of the way. Sometimes my mother’s acquaintances would assist, and I was beyond grateful. 

Living My Dream 

In 2016, my lifelong dream finally came to life. I left Jamaica for the first time in 2016 to finally pursue my dream and life-long goal of becoming a doctor. I got accepted to a medical university in china (which I’m currently enrolled in), but at first, I did not know how I would finance my tuition fee. I roamed the streets of Montego Bay seeking sponsorship and sending hundreds of e-mails and letters until a private company agreed to cover my tuition fee for the first year. At the end of the first year, the same company decided to cover my tuition fee for four buy anadrol more years due to my consistent academic performance. Though it would usually be hard to provide for my needs, the fact that I only have my final year tuition to cover makes me feel a little more at ease, but with my faith and motivation, I know it will work out, and I will be successful regardless of the struggles I faced. 

 Sponsorship has helped me attain the goals I had set out since I was a child, and because of the help I’ve received every day, I am one step closer to attaining my dream. I will also soon be able to assist other persons with similar challenges that I faced. This initiative would benefit ambitious, goal-driven Jamaicans like me, who aspire to better themselves and their family and eventually help Jamaica, regardless of the struggles while growing up in less-fortunate homes.