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Judana Murphy/Gleaner Writer TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD MALIKA Allen is determined to blaze a trail of her own, despite loss, financial chal- lenges, and other hurdles. COME AUGUST, she will commence PhD studies in neuroscience in the United States. Allen grew up in Meadowbrook, St Andrew, where she had a fun child- hood. Though focused on academics, the youngster read frequently and still found time to play netball. “My parents had a business together in Coronation Market. So, I was there before and after school every day. But when my dad passed away, I started to stay overnight withmy mom and older sister in the market from Friday evening to Saturday evening,” Allen recalled. She told The Gleaner that she helped her mother to sell in the market and she had to go there each morn- ing to collect her lunch money before heading to school. Allen recalled that at one point, her family’s finances were so low that they could not afford to pay the utility bills, but she was undeterred. “I would try to get home early from school so that I could complete my homework and in instances where it got dark before I could complete them, I would have to make use of the street light as it was bright enough to shine on the veranda,” she recounted. As graduation drew near at the end of high school, she learnt that students with outstanding fees would not be allowed to participate. But she had overcome too much to not be given the opportunity to expe- rience the sense of pride of walking across the platform and being pre- sented with a canister. She emailed the principal, who gave permission and did not mind receiving an empty certificate canister. After high school, Allen enrolled at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, on a partial scholarship. A hold was placed on her account every semester because of outstanding balances and she was unable to register for classes several times. BIGGEST CHALLENGE The biggest challenge was having to take a leave of absence fromAugust to December 2019 because of outstand- ing fees. “During this time, I returned to Jamaica, and I thought that this was the end. I started to apply for various jobs; however, I wasn’t selected for any. I then decided to apply for scholarships, still no luck,” she recalled. “I then applied for loans and was subsequently denied. This became a depressing time in my life and I was at the point of giving up on my dreams. I didn’t even want to leave my house.” All was not lost, as her academic performance earned her a full-tuition scholarship after returning from the leave of absence. Her family and her bishop assisted with paying housing costs and other miscellaneous fees. “A week before I returned to school, I made a plan with all the courses I needed to take to graduate when I was expected. I also included goals of doing research internships and working in the research lab at my school more,” she told The Gleaner . “I really just made a plan and stuck to it through prayer because I had to take more credits since I missed a semester.” Allen is an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Board of Students and a tutor at the Academic Resource Center. The Jamaican student is on track to graduate summa cum laude inMay with a Bachelor of Arts in neuroscience and psychology. Allen said that her mom and sisters are very supportive of her educational pursuit. “My older sister kept me motivated and I was always reminded that I have a greater purpose in life. My experiences and the number of denials were just a number of the many valleys I had to pass through,” she said. judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com 11 Caribbean Cricket Club of Los Angeles was founded in 1984, by an esteemed group of Caribbean nationals. The organization is now an Independent 501 c (3) Sports Club, managed by a Board of Directors under the leadership of a president, supported by the players and active members. CCC is a member of the Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA), and the United States Cricket Association (USCA). CCC is the Division 1- One Day, T20 and Combined ODI and T2O Southern California Cricket Association Champions since 2019, The club successfully defended its titles in November, 2021. Contact us if you would like to join our team or become a sponsor for the 2022 Cricket season, “All of us have gone through great challenges due to the Corona-Virus Pandemic since 2020 and we are grateful that you have continued to protect yourself and your Loved Ones throughout these challenging times. We are here to support you 100%. As we move forward, let us all work together for the betterment of humanity.” Officers: Rose Lanam, President; Ray Dee, Vice President; Usha Sahadeva - Brooks, Treasurer; Maurice Donald, Past President/ Manager; Lewin Harrison, PR/Media/Community Relations; Christopher Lane, Captain; Rudolph Hinds, Vice Captain; Iftikhar Ahmed, Player Relations Coordinator; Rodney Cuttings, Technical Coordinator; Dr B. Roy Davidson, Past President/Secretary/Board Member . Aubrey Campbell/Gleaner Writer HARTFORD, CT: CRICKETERS AND fans of the sport will get another op- portunity to enjoy the ‘beautiful game’ in the company of family and friends, during the summer of 2022. As the USA in general and the North-east corridor in par- ticular emerge from the ravaging constraints of the global health crisis, the Cricket Hall of Fame (CHoF) – the first in the world – will stage a two-day, weekend tournament at the Keney Park, Hartford, Connecticut, on June 11 & 12. The return of the summertime classic will feature as many as eight teams/clubs competing for cash and other prizes in a six-a-side format, going five overs per innings. All eight teams will compete in a round-robin format with the top four advancing to the play-off round, with the final set for Sunday, June 12. According to tournament director Mahadeo‘Mario’Ajodhi, “The tournament is an attempt to inject a little fun into our beloved sport and pastime that has lost some of its lustre, certainly at the regional level.” The tournament is being organised with the blessings of the Sportsmen’s Athletic Club, Connecticut Professional Cricket League (CPCL), the Connecticut Cricket League (CCL), and is the first in a series of activities and events on the 2022 calendar which ends with the staging of the CHoF induction ceremony for the Class of 2022 on October 2 in Hartford. Michael Chambers, executive director of the CHoF, says the event is being staged for the first time since 1998, and will help to celebrate the Hall’s 41st anniversary. Teams, clubs and unattached players wishing to take part in the tournament must register on or before the deadline of February 28, 2022, at the link, http://crickethof.org/ register/. For additional information regarding the tournament, in- cluding sponsorship, contact Mahadeo Ajodhi at majodhi@ gmail.com or Jatin Patel at forjatin@gmail.com. Six-a-side cricket tournament returns to Keney Park K ARL HALE, in partnership with the city of Markham, last week introduced the newly founded Premier Racquet Clubs - Markham, which will offer indoor tennis. THE winter club, Premier Racquet Club Markham, is slated to open October 1, 2022 - April 30, 2023, and will host over 600 members and op- erate in the winter months for the future. “This exciting announcement will bring year-round affordable ten- nis (6 courts, two three-court bub- bles) to promote the sport for youth, adults, seniors, people/persons with disabilities and the residents of the City of Markham and York Region at large,” a release from the club noted. The club will also feature pickle ball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with instruc- tional clinics, leagues, drop-in play, and tournaments. “I’m really excited to bring a world- class tennis facility to Markham. We are proud to be the first new indoor tennis club in the Greater Toronto area in the past 30 years. We will provide top coaching, a great facility, great service, and great events that will de- velop tennis in the GTA beginning October 2022,” Hale noted. Mayor Frank Scarpitti welcomed the venture, saying: “It is partner- ships like this one, with Karl Hale and Premier Racquet Clubs, that give the city of Markham the opportunity to provide a greater range of recre- ational facilities and programmes. Markham’s reputation as a premier sports destination will no doubt grow with the addition of this complex. I thank Mr Hale for choosing Markham as the location to build this club. In addition to this investment, our com- munity will benefit fromhis extensive experience and network in the tennis world.” The club’s team of professionals and managers include Andy Sutton, Nima Naderi, Nabil Tadros, and Joseph Tadros. Daniel Nestor, former world No. 1 and Olympic Gold medallist, said: “Karl is a true leader in our game in Canada. He does everything with passion and will provide an excep- tional facility for more tennis players in Markham.” The facility, which is located at 73 Wooten Way North (North east Markham), offers a special charter membership for the first 100 mem- bers, starting March 1. Karl Hale, one of Canada’s pre-em- inent tennis industry leaders is a former Davis Cup player for Jamaica and Fed Cup coach for Canada. He is one of the most respected ten- nis players globally, which includes being the president of the PTR/PPR (Professional Tennis Registry), which includes 20,000 coaches worldwide. Karl Hale opens indoor tennis club in Markham Karl Hale From sleeping in Coronation Market to neuroscience PhD Jamaican scholar overcomes poverty to achieve excellence Malika Allen CONTRIBUTED THE WEEKLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 3 - 28, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS