Many of us cherish the special bond we share with our grandmothers, but for 19-year-old Ashada Beckett, that bond was strengthened in a unique way: She and her grandmother sat a CSEC exam together.
Ms. Smith talked about the journey she shared with her granddaughter: “It was amazing, actually, because we sat in the very same classroom, just one desk apart, and that was just really, really amazing for me to be able to say I sat CXC with my granddaughter.”
Ms. Smith said upon completing her secondary school education, her granddaughter had a desire to do another subject. After working with her, along with a tutor, she began her own journey.
“Ashada inspired me and said so; well, she calls me Mama. ‘So, Mama, why don’t you go back to school?’ And I was like, ‘No I don’t need to go back to school, you know I’m good.’ And she really encouraged me, and I decided, okay. That’s how we ended up here today.”
Ashada shared how she felt about sharing such an experience with her grandmother: “It felt amazing, knowing that she was there for me throughout the whole thing, even at home, and to know we were writing together, it felt very, very good.”
They both encouraged parents or grandparents wanting to do the same to go for it.
“They can do it. Age is just a number. If it is you want to go back to school, you want to go and sit subjects, you can do it because my grandmom did.”
“Whether you choose to do it for yourself or for your children, to set an example for somebody in your community, because people watch you, eh, whether you know it or not, they watch, they observe, and they learn from you. They wouldn’t always tell you that they learn from you, but people do learn from you.”
Their story is a reminder that it’s never too late to chase a dream, especially when you have someone you love by your side.