Mind Ova Matter JM

Shakira Mills is a Motivational Speaker, Personal Development Trainer and Author who is passionate about transformation and empowering persons through her own experiences of growing up in poverty and experiencing abuse but yet being able to overcome her circumstances. 
She's is the founder of Serenity Motivated , a blog she started in 2017 where she shares her experiences and helps others to become their better selves.
Her book the Come Up: Basic Empowerment Strategies explores several tactics to empower her readers to " Come up" from obstacles they may face.

20 year old Senna Summerbell, the son of Jamaican Motorsport icon David Summerbell Jnr and named after the Brazilian Formula 1 World Champion Ayrton Senna was destined to be a race car driver.
His journey started in Go-Kart Racing at 6 years old and he has won 4 national Championships, the Caribbean Karting Championship and placed 5th at the World Championships.
He's the 1st Jamaican to ever race in an electric kart in the Rotax Max Challenge Finals in Brazil.
IN 2018 he transitioned to circuit racing and presently holds the lap record of 1:15:433 at Dover Raceway in Jamaica. a record once held by his father.

Acee Green at 21 years old is Jamaica's first Para Archer. Representing Jamaica in his first international competition at the recently held Caribbean Development Archery Championship in the  Dominican Republic, he won a bronze medal in the beginner senior men's 30m category.
He was born with two spinal conditions, spina bifida and scoliosis which prevents him from being able to walk
However, he has not allowed his disability to hinder his goal of representing Jamaica at the Paralympic Games. Through determination and love for the sport of archery, He has become one of the top four archers in Jamaica although only playing the sport for a few months.
He shares his journey of overcoming some of the challenges he's faced as a result of his disability.

Terrain Wright is a 23 year old graduate of the Northern Caribbean University where he has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Communication studies graduating Magna cum Laude in 2022.
His journey started out as a below average student in Primary and up to 4th form in High School but he has proven that with the right combination of factors, failing students can make a turnaround.
Growing up in the volatile area of Trench Town, he had close encounters with gang warfare. Moving to Portmore in a bid to escape the violence of the inner-city was short-lived when his cousin was killed as a result of community violence.
Packing up the family, his mother again moved to Mandeville where she knew no one.
Terrain was given a life changing opportunity by the Principal of Belair High when she gave him a place at the school although his grades were below the required standard.
Soon he was representing his school as a member of the Debating team, the Quiz Club and Head Boy  in 2016-2018.
He continued his academic success holding several leadership positions as a student at Northern Caribbean University.

Ten year old Ngozi Wright made history in 2019, when at seven years old she along with with her twin brother Tafari became the youngest persons to speak in the Jamaican Parliament in a Special Session on Violence against Children.
The young dub poet who is also the daughter of Jamaican artiste Majah Bless has been performing since she was 2 years old.
She has received several awards at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Festival Speech Competition over the years.
 In 2019 she dominated the 2019 Finals. copping several awards including Most Outstanding Female Presentation for her poem "Mi Waan Di Visa" as well as the Louise Bennett Award for Best Jamaican Speech Presentation.
She is a student at Jessie Ripoll Primary School.

Petreine Thomas is a 25 year old Jamaican youth farmer From Grove town in the Parish of Manchester. Her interest in agriculture started at age 6 when she planted her first pumpkin in her parents backyard which weighed 18 lbs at maturity.
In Primary school she became a member of the Jamaica 4H club which continued at Decarteret College. She furthered her formal training in agriculture at the Ebony Park Academy.
Petreine started farming as a business venture in 2020 with assistance from the Rural  Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (RYEEP) an entrepreneurial training programme which offers rural youths an opportunity to launch their own agricultural enterprise in partnership with the HEART TRUST NTA.
In 2021 she was nominated for the Prime Minister's Youth Award in Farming.
She shares the highs and lows of her journey as a farmer. 

Rushaine 'Dutty Berry is a young Jamaican  Youtuber and Brand Ambassador. He's also the recipient of the Prime Minister's Youth Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture in 2019.
He is a past student of Excelsior High School  and Meadowbrook High School.
His journey as a vlogger started after completing his Bachelor's degree at the University of the West Indies but was unable to land a job. Being unemployed, he started making his own videos while at home. His first humorous video about wanting to start his own show which would be called the Dutty Berry Show received great reviews and he was encouraged by his friends to continue vlogging.
However Berry's meteoric rise to stardom came following his weekly commentary videos of Tessanne Chin's performance on the talent show 'The Voice" on NBC.
His comical commentary became a must watch each week as he led Jamaicans through the competition in his hilarious way.
The Dutty Berry Show that focuses on Jamaican culture and life.  The Dutty Berry Top Social Media Countdown recaps all the social topics from the week past in a humorous way.

Shania Lawrence is the 21 year old Ceo of Prestige Paintings, a business that provides quality residential and commercial painting services.
Her entrepreneurial path started 2 years ago when she decided that she needed to earn a second income.
Her google research on successful businesses and her love for the arts led her to painting. Her parents who are also entrepreneurs encouraged her to start her company.
Not content with just managing the company, she's also a professional painter having learnf the ropes since launching the company 2 years ago.
She shares the challenges and lessons learnt as a young, female entrepreneur in a male dominated profession.

Joan Mckenzie has brought laughter as 'Granny on social media and on stage.
She is multitalented, wearing several hats as actor, writer, director, producer, filmmaker and entrepreneur.
Her love for theatre started as a child in Primary School, however in High School she started writing and directing plays as her passion for the arts grew.
She was trained at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts graduating in 2021.
Her production company, Joan Kenzie Productions was started during the pandemic and she has starred, directed and produced her first film "Granny Worries" with the aid of her friends who all contributed to the project.
Her character" Granny" was borne out of interactions with the elderly in her community in the parish of Clarendon.
"Never Lose Hope" her mantra, is dedicated to her mother whom she describes as her "motivation and biggest supporter"
She shares her love for theatre and the journey from acting to filmmaking.

19 year old Jamaican, Angelica Stewart is a Howard University student who is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science with a minor in Physics. She was selected for NASA'S Student Airborne Science Activation Program where she recently completed her internship as a researcher focusing on column ozone and the effects of the pandemic. She received hands on training and flew on NASA research P3 aircraft.
Angelica is a past student of Wolmer's Trust High School, at age 15 she migrated with her parents to Florida in pursuit of better opportunities.
In Florida, she attended Maynard Evans High school where she gained several academic awards graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2020.
She was accepted at 14 universities but chose Howard University, the most prestigious historically black college in the United States.
"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough" is a quote by Og Mandino that she lives by