Clarke

WESTERN BUREAU:

The odds are stacked against a cook in the hospitality industry who has no Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) subjects, no formal training and no chances of getting a promotion. Wrong, and June Clarke is living proof.

This ambitious, extraordinary mid-40s woman offered a peaceful smile as she recalled her journey from being a cook with no CXCs and formal training to a student at the Oklahoma State University in the United States pursuing her PhD.

"My mother has 10 of us and myfather died when we were young. So it was financially difficult for my mother to take care of us," Clarke reasoned. "But my mother has always encouraged me to go back to school when I started working to further my education."

Enough is enough

The Westmoreland native added: "I began working as a chef at a hotel in Trelawny but it was always my dream to go back to school. One day, after five years of working at the hotel, I became so frustrated with myself for not pursuing my original plan to go to school, and it was at that moment where I said enough is enough."

However, her road to attain academic excellence at a tertiary institution was met with disappointment as some prominent colleges and universities in Montego Bay at the time refused to grant Clarke entry into their institutions because she did not have the required subjects.

She remembered vividly that after hours of visiting various institutions and no success in being enrolled, her hope of achieving her goals seemed dimmed with gloom until her sister recommended the Western Hospitality Institute (WHI). At the time, this institution did not require persons to have CXC subjects to enrol in any of its programmes.

Academic success

This was over 15 years ago. Now June Clarke has successfully completed her associate degree, bachelor's, and Masters of Business Administration at WHI in collaboration with Hocking College (United States). She is currently on her way to completing her PhD in hotel management.

"I was ostracised by traditional institutions but that did not deter me from achieving my goals. I wanted to do this for my mother, who supported my decision all the way, but most importantly for myself. It is not a matter of if it can't be done. It can be done once you persevere," an optimistic Clarke concluded.

sheena.gayle@gleanerjm.com