Former high school dropout Kerine Davis has gone from driving a cab to running a college. She is now a formidable figure in both business and education.
Her college, Ocho Rios College, has gained a reputation for quality and for giving out scholarships worth millions of dollars to young people in need.
Residents of Davis’ challenging Faulkland neighbourhood, also known as Mansfield Heights, in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, are among the award recipients.
She proclaimed, “I’m from the ghetto.” In a place like Mansfield Heights, where you were born and bred, you have to rise above the rest because if you are not focused on what you are doing, you will become sidetracked.
According to Davis, her strong disciplinarian father made sure that she and her three siblings stayed in line.
Davis attended Brown’s Town High School, Exchange Primary School, and Oracabessa High School when she became pregnant in Grade 10.
She admitted to The Beacon that her “thinking wasn’t in the right place at that time.” Naturally, my parents were very disappointed, but I had to accept the situation as it was.
Davis, after giving birth, did not resume her studies in secondary school. “My parents weren’t rich, but they tried their best as long as they were responsible for us. Once I got pregnant, I had to start taking on life by myself,” she explained.
Her parents gave her a house lot in Mansfield Heights, and when she was still a teenager, she constructed a little house there.
Davis found herself in a terrible financial situation, so she began pounding the pavement in Ocho Rios in search of work, particularly at reputable fast-food establishments.
At Island Grill, she obtained one.
“I was given that job by the manager on a Wednesday afternoon. I had to clean and marinade 900 Best Dressed birds, Davis recounted. “I cleaned and marinated those chickens as though I were filing papers in my office.
I took delight in doing it that way.
She worked quietly until one day, she claimed, when a cashier failed to show up for work and she was instructed to pick up the slack.
She was shocked to find a letter of praise from an enthusiastic client she didn’t know in one of the major publications.
Davis outlined how she tore the letter out of the newspaper and submitted it during her following job hunt.
She was able to get a position at Sandcastles Resort in Ocho Rios in this manner.
There was no turning back after that, she said.
Davis purchased a Toyota Caldina vehicle while working at Sandcastles and entered the taxi industry, working there for six years. On the route from Ocho Rios to Brown’s Town in her home parish, she also operated a bus.
Later, Davis travelled to Barbados to work in construction but was expelled for overstaying his visa.
She eventually sent herself back to school and earned credentials in nursing and business administration after refusing to let the incident make her unable to function.
After a brief stay in the Bahamas, she later travelled back to Jamaica and launched T&G Job Agency and Document Centre, an internet café.
Davis found that many of her clients lacked fundamental abilities while she was providing a variety of services, so she began to help them.
She told The Beacon, “I started [the college] by aiding folks who came to the internet café.
On October 9, 2012, Davis formally opened Ocho Rios College with 40 students within the Falcon Crest building in Ocho Rios.
Later, the institution moved to Little Pub Complex, Milford Road, Newlin Street, and finally Buckfield, all of which are locations in Ocho Rios.
According to Davis, who went on to earn a degree in Educational Leadership and Management at the University of the West Indies, starting a college was not exactly a walk in the park.
She admitted that maintaining the institution’s finances was one of the hardest responsibilities.
The options available to students in the fields of hospitality, business, and medicine are numerous.
Davis stated that students who perform well typically stand an excellent chance of gaining permanent employment, and that work experience is guaranteed.
The extraordinary teacher said, “I offer myself to my kids.
She experiences an odd sense of pleasure and excitement whenever one of her graduates succeeds.
Davis, though, is also a stickler for moral growth and professional success.
She is also the definition of generosity, which is demonstrated in part by the fact that she awards at least five scholarships to community members each year.
During our most recent graduation, which took place in January of this year, I presented the 40 grads each with a scholarship, instructing them to choose a deserving recipient in their neighbourhood. That was my way of returning the favour and helping someone in need,” Davis added.
The mother of three responded to The Beacon when asked how she hoped to be remembered in the future, saying, “I want people to remember me as a go-getter and someone who blazed the path for others. Also, I would like to leave Mansfield Heights and St. Ann with Ocho Rios College as a lasting legacy.
