We do shipping right TRANS-CONTINENTAL ECONOCARIBE 147-46 176 STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11434 TEL: 718-244-7447, 718-341-2900 • BARRELS • CRATES • CARTONS • FURNITURE • APPLIANCES • BUILDING SUPPLIES • MEDICAL SUPPLIES • CARS KINGSTON, MONTEGO BAY, PORT OF SPAIN - TRINIDAD, GUYANA & OTHER ISLANDS WE SHIP DIRECTLY TO: SPECIALIZING IN RETURNING RESIDENTS Many years of excellent service! Janet Silvera/ SENIOR Gleaner Writer THE HOURS of travel between Sandy Bay, Hanover, and Kingston weekly to earn a university degree, while juggling vending in the popular Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, have paid off handsomely for Kadene Vidol. The 26-year-old first-class University of Technology honouree and pumpkin, sweet pepper and cabbage farmer has a feather in her cap as recipient of a special Prime Minister’s Youth Award for 2021, which was televised Sunday night. Vidol topped 150 nominees and 10 finalists to cop the coveted award in Kingston for what she tags “my outstanding achievement”. Her prizes included a trophy and $100,000 from Sagicor Bank. While weighing produce and collecting cash on Saturday morning, the busiest market day, Vidol cried openly as she recalled the emotional roller coaster of school and work. “I am elated, it is a wonderful feeling for me and my family. I did this for them and I am very proud that I was able to. Never in my wildest dreams I thought about winning this prize,”she said in-between drying her tears. Vidol’s story of triumph, determination and fortitude could have been derailed had she not decided to sacrifice her foundation years at primary and high school, burning the candle at both ends. The Sandy Bay woman said that she spent much of her childhood days swimming at the river, climbing coconut trees, and frolicking with friends. At nights, she paid the price and was forced to stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. reading just so she could catch up with the rest of her class. By the time she sat the Grade Six Achievement Test, the high-school placement exam now rebranded as the Primary Exit Profile, Vidol said she scored above-average grades and later attended Herbert Morrison Technical High. Vidol now holds a bachelor of science degree in hospitality and tourismmanagement from UTech despite COVID-19 setbacks that derailed plans of enlisting in the workand-travel programme that would be used to fund her tuition. “When the work-and-travel programme fell through, I realised I had to do something to bring in finance, which would help me through university,”she said in a Gleaner interview. Reminiscing on how she sold produce on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and caught the bus at 4 a.m. fromHanover to get to classes at UTech’s Papine campus in Kingston on Mondays and Wednesdays, tears rolled down her cheeks. Vidol acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining her GPA amid the hustle and bustle of bussing it back to Hanover after classes ended at 3 p.m. Some nights, she would reach home as late as nine o’clock. And, by the next morning, she had to travel to Montego Bay to sell her produce in the market. Sundays weren’t hers either. That was the day she had to travel to purchase the produce she sold. Vidol credits her determination for her success. “The people who live within the house are the ones who knew nighttime was when I used to study. So, during the daytime, people might say, ‘What time you going to school?’ They wouldn’t know because I would be studying at nights,” she said. Since completing her studies at UTech, Vidol has been back in the market full time, selling a wide range of produce - cabbage, pumpkin, melon, papaya, Irish potatoes, chocho, pak choi, lettuce, and sweet pepper. She also does a bit of farming on a small scale, but her dream is to become a food and beverage manager at a prestigious hotel and to continue her education by attaining a master’s degree in cuisine. “Maybe one day I will get to go to Canada or France, maybe Spain. I don’t know what for now. I am just selling produce at the market. But I do intend to venture into my field of study,” she said. Vidol also harbours ambitions of becoming an executive chef if she wins a scholarship. janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com ‘Never in my wildest dreams’ Vendor with UTech degree basks in honour of Special PM’s Youth Award Kadene Vidol. CONTRIBUTED Kadene Vidol, recipient of the Special Award during the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards, vending in the Charles Gordon Market in Montego Bay, St James, on Saturday. ASHLEY ANGUIN/PHOTOGRAPHER Kadene Vidol receives her Special Award from Prime Minister Andrew Holness. CONTRIBUTED THE MONTHLY GLEANER | FEBRUARY 14 - MARCH 16, 2022 | WWW.JAMAICA-GLEANER.COM | PROFILE
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUzNTI=