Mark Wignall’s attempt to help fund my law school tuition

Will someone help Omar

Sometime last week he e-mailed me the following: “My name is Omar ……, and I am a recent graduate of Monroe College in New York. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. My education was funded through a variety of scholarships, grants and loans. I recently did the LSAT exams and was accepted to several law schools in the United States. Northwestern University, one of the schools recruiting me, is in the process of purchasing an airline ticket so that I can fly to their Chicago campus for an interview.

“As you are aware, Sir, graduate school is an expensive proposition. My first acceptance letter was from Pace University School of Law, and I was excited because it included a $10,000 scholarship. This excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I discovered that the cost of attending Pace was over $40,000 per year. Pace is not my first choice, and I’m still awaiting word from Howard Law.

“Mr Wignall, I am writing to seek your assistance in obtaining funding for school. I am willing to repay. I am certain that my education will be of value to Jamaican companies looking to expand in North America, as my area of specialty will be International Business.

“My teenage years were spent on Rosalee Avenue, off Waltham Park Road. Until 2005, I worked in several capacities at the National Housing Trust. As a young employee at the Trust, I started an Adopt-A-Child programme. Currently, the programme adopts seven high school students. I am not sure exactly what the programme now entails, since cost-sharing has been eliminated.

“Sir, any assistance you are able to secure for me will be greatly appreciated. I have attached a copy of my Howard Law School Personal Statement. Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information (such as a transcript). My cell number is …………

“On another note, we had a conversation a few years ago and I am still hopeful that you will consider publishing a collection of your articles.”

When I spoke with the young man he gave me a little bit of what his young life was like. “Tears gushed from his eyes as he reflects on what transpired. His mind is working overtime as he considers running away, and worst, suicide. He did something childish, but he was only seven. He had been sent to the store to purchase cooking oil. Excited that he would be getting fried dumplings for breakfast, he raced away, grabbing the closest bottle he could find. After his purchase, he realised that the bottle had no cap, so he held it carefully as he hurried home ensuring that none of its contents would spill. His reward: a brutal blow to the face with his stepfather’s machete. The explanation: he acted stupidly, or “fool, fool” as we say in our native tongue.

“I was that child. This was not an isolated case of abuse. My mother, a poor, semi-literate, 25-year-old, tried to intervene, but was silenced by her lover. I watched while he beat her; I thought it ‘normal’ for a man to beat his woman. It was ‘discipline’.”

Omar was making reference to life in too many of Jamaica’s poor, dysfunctional families.

I have recently seen the airline tickets which Northwestern University has sent him as he treks once again to see if his future can be made better. The 25-year-old young man is very active in his community in all spheres of activities and is a natural leader.

I am appealing to all who may see this, and especially the large private sector entities that may decide that saving one more ambitious Jamaican may be worth it. Please, give Omar a chance.

www.jamaicaobserver.com

Mark Wignall