Dijuana Jackson succeeds despite tragedy

Dijuana Jackson was six years old when her father was murdered. The death of the breadwinner, in 2019, was devastating for the entire family. But that tragedy didn't stop the now 12-year-old.

Instead, Jackson made it her mission to excel, and recently, she proudly collected the Petrojam award for Top Girl out of St Andrew Primary School in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.

"I feel good. It was exciting collecting the award for the top girl in PEP and it made me feel proud," said Jackson, who was extremely excited to receive her prizes: a laptop, bag, calculators, dictionary, SD card, books, and other school supplies. The aspiring entrepreneur was the one who styled her own hair for the award ceremony.

"I comb hair. I've been doing it from a very early age. I comb everybody's hair, cousins, siblings, and friends," she told THE STAR proudly.

But behind the bright smile and sharp determination is the painful story of great loss. However, the members of the family united to carry each other through the tragedy.

"My mother, sisters, and aunts had to always be pushing to send me to school," said Jackson.

Despite the hardship, she said PEP preparation wasn't too hard for her.

"In 2023, I went to the PEP award ceremony and I saw everybody getting their award and it inspired me. I wrote it down as my goal and I worked hard to get it. I am very committed to all that I set out to do."

Her mother, Sophia Payne, could hardly contain her pride.

"I'm very proud and grateful. It takes a little pressure off me because I got three children going to school now. Everything expensive," she lamented. "My last son is in third grade and his books alone are $17,500, and I have a fifth grader as well." Payne also recalled the horror of the children's father passing away under tragic circumstances.

"It was rough because they were young and didn't understand, but they saw when he was murdered. The big one carried him to the hospital and was there when he died," she said. But that tragedy has not stopped all her children from excelling academically.

"Mi always tell them fi hold up dem head because dem father dead and a me alone. My sisters help me as well," she said. "The eldest child finished her bachelor degree now," Payne said.

Jackson begins a news chapter at Excelsior High School.

Payne said that her daughter has always done well in school.

"From Dijuana started basic school, she has been a straight-A student. She has so many trophies and certificates, and I know she is going to get more."

At the awards ceremony, held at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation Incubator and Resource Centre in Kingston, Petrojam honoured seven top performers from the Greenwich Primary and St Andrew Primary schools. The winners, including Dijuana, walked away with $60,000 in annual tuition support.

"This impressive line-up of Jamaica's next generation of leaders and innovators gives us hope for a brighter future," Petrojam General Manager, Telroy Morgan, said in his remarks.

Looking ahead, Dijuana has her eyes set on a bright future.

"I don't expect high school to be easy, because there are many obstacles in life. I would like to become an entrepreneur when I grow up, primarily in finance. But for sure I want to have multiple businesses."