Mind Ova Matter JM

This week's guest Jennifer Vassel is a Jamaican- American author, speaker and creative entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. She is the author and founder of "I am Unique!"- a children's book and self love brand aimed to inspire kids and adults to rise above their insecurities and share their unique gifts with the world.
 Jennifer’s interest in entrepreneurship piqued when she heard a life-changing sermon on New Year’s Eve 2012. In 2014, she published her debut book entitled “My Channeled Energy”–a collection of poems and short stories written from age 6-26, becoming an Amazon #1 Bestseller in two categories.
In this episode Jennifer shares her story of self love and how she was able to overcome and embrace her own insecurities she experienced as a child because of a birthmark that covers a large part of her back, extending to her shoulders.
She tells how we all can rise above our insecurities and accept our uniqueness.

Growing up in poverty in Tower Hill, Kingston, Jamaica, 23 year-old Jahmel Brown was constantly told he would never amount to anything like his father who pushed handcarts in downtown Kingston. These words though belittling served as his driving force to excel. Despite passing his GSAT exams for the non-traditional Tarrant High School, Jahmel's exceptional performance earned him the top CSEC and CAPE performer.
He faced many challenges  but he persevered and in 2019 he became the first in his family to attend a university, thanks to a scholarship for his first semester at the University of the West Indies. His journey was harder than the degree he said citing lack of resources, sleepless nights and depression but despite difficult circumstances, he continued to push himself and won several scholarships and awards along the way. He ultimately graduated with a first class honors degree in Public Policy and Management with a minor in Int'l Relations.

Today Jahmel's is pursuing a masters in International Public and development Management. He hopes that his success will inspire others in his family and community to believe that despite facing poverty and obstacles, they too can achieve greatness through hard work, determination and perseverance.

The dynamic and physically demanding sport of gymnastics is a testament to the human spirit as gymnasts push themselves to the limit to achieve their goals. 
23- year-old Tyesha Mattis was born with a passion for gymnastics following in the footsteps of her mother who was a former gymnast. By the time she was 3 years old she had already began her journey towards becoming a gymnastics star.
She has represented Great Britain in the sport of gymnastics becoming the 6 time British Champion, 2 time English Champion, Australian Youth Olympic medallist.
Her journey has been filled with setbacks, injuries, unfair treatment but she has remained focused on her goals.
After suffering a major injury in 2018, she was forced to leave the sport of gymnastics.
After 4 years of rehabilitation and determination she has made a comeback, switching allegiance to Jamaica.
She has represented Jamaica at the Pan-American Championships and The World Championships IN 2022. With her sights on the Olympics, Tyesha is determined to make history for herself and Jamaica.

21 -year-old Jamaican chef Rameish Desouza has taken the culinary world by storm with his unique and bold dishes. With a passion for pushing the boundaries  of traditional flavors and ingredients he has gained a massive following on social media for his creative delicious creations.
He first came to national attention with his creation of his ackee ice cream and is again creating waves with his curried banana skin.
His interest in cooking started at a young age when he help out in his family's restaurant. What sets him apart from other chefs is his unconventional approach to ingredients. With no formal training, Rameish relies on his ideas and experimentation to come up with his recipes.
He plans on be opening his restaurant soon where his menu will be all his creations.

Growing up in the tough innercity of Maxfield Ave in Kingston, Jamaica with a single parent fighting to make ends meet, life was never easy for 23 year old Shamar McGrowder. But he had a fierce  determination to make a better life for himself.
Passing his GSAT examinations to attend Calabar High School was a turning point for him after enrolling in the Cadet Program.
With focus and drive, he excelled in his studies and moved on to the University becoming the first in his family to do so.
His journey to the University of the West Indies was filled with many challenges, financial problems, depression, loss of family member and friends to a wave of violence and gang wars in his community.
Today he holds a BSc in Management Studies and is presently pursuing a masters degree in Human Resource Development.
He's seen as a role model and an inspiration proving that with grit, determination and strong will, anyone can overcome their circumstances.

26 year-old Jamaican, Zamal Murray's journey in the construction industry is one of determination and ambition. Starting as a high school student working weekends on his father's construction site, Zamal honed his skills and gained valuable experience.
During the pandemic he started his own company, Murray Renovations and Home Developments. Despite facing challenges such as his age, Zamal has proven himself as a competent and capable contractor. We delve into his story and discover the drive and passion that has propelled him to be a successful entrepreneur.

Meet Kaela Calvert, a dynamic 19-year-old who's blazing new trails as a freshman at the University of the West Indies. This ambitious young woman is pursuing a degree in Software Engineering and is set to make her mark on the tech world. Kaela's academic prowess earned her a distinguished title of alum and former head girl at the Convent of Mercy Academy "Alpha". 
Kaela Calvert's academic journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and hard work. Despite being labeled a "slow learner" and facing doubts about her capabilities, Kaela persevered and proved the naysayers wrong. After undergoing an assessment test to evaluate her potential in the GSAT examination, Kaela received results that showed she was underperforming compared to her peers. But, this didn't stop her from pushing forward. Fast forward to her CSEC and CAPE exams, Kaela's unwavering determination paid off as she aced 14 subjects, including physics, pure maths, and computer science. Kaela's inspiring story shows that no obstacle is too big to overcome with the right mindset and effort.

26 year-old Shaddae Findley, from Rose Heights in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a proud alum of Montego Bay High School where she excelled in academics and also as a member of the school's tennis team. She began her tennis journey at the young age of 11, under the guidance of her father, who had a passion for the sport. Despite financial challenges, Shaddae's love for tennis and determination to succeed led her parents to make sacrifices to pay for tennis classes. She also credits her coach for her success in tennis as he ensured that she came to classes even when her parents couldn't pay. In 2015 after completing High School she was able to secure a tennis scholarship to Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where she represented the school on the court. This opportunity led to even greater opportunities, including a full scholarship to Columbia University, where she completed her master's degree in
Enterprise Risk Management.
In 2020 she began her career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst and has been 'climbing the ladder since becoming a Snr. Analyst in 2021 and more recently an associate in December 2022.  Shaddae is grateful for the opportunities that her talent and dedication to tennis have provided.
She shares her journey from Montego Bay to Goldman Sachs.

Dishon Francis is a 20 year-old Jamaican youth farmer from the Parish of St. Elizabeth. He is the 2022 4H Club National Male Youth Ambassador, the 2019 St Elizabeth Top Boy of the year and the 2022 Mr. Jnr Health and Wellness Ambassador.
His love for agriculture started as a child growing up in a family of  farmers from a farming community called Nain.
In 2019, he won first place for his project using banana bark and cassava starch to make plates and utensils after a ban on single use plastic bags and Styrofoam products was announced by the Government.
He is passionate about research and innovation and has also developed an insect repellant and compost mix using the cassava which will be available on the market soon.
He is presently pursuing a first degree in Agriculture Education at The College Of Agriculture and a Bachelor's in Communication Studies at Northern Caribbean University.

Sabrina Barnes is a 17-year-old Jamaican changemaker who is passionate about advocacy and believes that young people's voices should be heard and that youth inclusion is worth advocating for.
Some of the social issues that she's passionate about are gender based violence, education and violence among children.
She us a 6th form student at Decarteret College where she is also a high achiever passing 11 CSEC subjects.
She is also a cohost on Nationwide's 'Talk up Yout" radio show.
She share her journey as an advocate and a high school student.