Jumping for joy

Very few people from the rural community of Epping Forest, Old England, in Manchester matriculate to university, and even fewer complete their journey, says Denvor Green.

So when he walked across the stage at The University of the West Indies last Friday to collect his first-class honours Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with education, he was aware of what his achievement meant for the small farming district.

“My community members were very excited. Some of them said that they were jumping for joy just watching on YouTube when I was walking across the stage,” Green told The Gleaner.

Others shared their commendations while expressing hope that his accomplishment would challenge and change the norm in the community.

“When I’m walking through the community, I’m receiving a lot of congratulations, and even some of the younger people said that I inspired them to go on and push ahead with their studies. One of the things that I’ve been hearing, especially from the mothers, is that I’m setting an example for their sons,” he said.

His mother, Shernette Brown-Farquaharson, told The Gleaner that her first son has brought her “unexplainable joy” and created a watershed moment in his community.

“The community is just amazed by how he has stood out from [he was] a child growing up. He is always first from primary right up, straight until high school, never drop his standard. He is very principled, with a very solid foundation,” she said.

The 23-year-old said he has always displayed academic excellence, driven by his own desire for self-actualisation and the need to be a role model for his younger siblings.

However, there was a moment where it appeared as if his dream was stalled. After graduating from Manchester High School in 2021 as head boy, he was unable to move on to tertiary education as his mother, a single parent, could not afford tuition.

“I was a little bit daunted because most of my peers would have just left high school and went into university, and it was kind of an unexpected turn for a lot of persons because they were saying [as] a head boy, they would think I would be transitioning into university as most of my peers did,” he recalled.

Describing this period as rough, his mother, who works as a cook in a restaurant, said she was inspired by the faith her son displayed.

“At the time, he had such faith in God. I remember saying to him [that] I didn’t have it to send him because whatever [I had], I already give it to him through high school. And I remember he looked at me and he said, ‘Mommy, yuh don’t believe in God?’, and that’s where I start build up my faith so much and work with him,” she said.

Green soon got a job working as a lab technician at deCarteret College in Manchester. It was there that he began considering the possibility of entering the classroom after a teacher told him about the UWI programme and accompanying scholarship.

He said he applied for and was awarded the Math Science TVET Education and Engineering Scholarship offered by the Government. The scholarship had a tenure of three years and covered his tuition, accommodation, and miscellaneous fees. In order to maintain the scholarship, Green had to achieve a B average or 3.0 grade point average.

“If it wasn’t for that [the job at Decarteret], maybe I wouldn’t have known much about this programme that I did or the scholarship opportunity. I’m very much grateful for that year,” he said.

While attending The UWI, he supported himself financially by getting a part-time job working in a library on campus. His mother would also send him money or buy groceries and bring them to Kingston.

As a condition of his scholarship, Green has been bound to teach in a government educational institution for five years. He has since returned to his alma mater, Manchester High School, where he teaches mathematics, and is also a Building Out Our STEM Teachers (BOOST) Fellow.

However, even without that requirement of the scholarship, Green believes he would have ended up in the classroom as it is not only something that he loves but a purpose with which he believes he was endowed.

“I’ve always liked teaching, and I always found myself teaching, even my friends,” he said. As a student at The UWI, he hosted group study sessions for statistics on Chancellor Hall, where he was a resident.

“My ultimate goal is to work in research and lecture in mathematics,” he stated.

For now, he will continue to impart his passion for the subject area to his students and hope that he is making a difference.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com