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This Week We Feature Young Professional Samantha C. John
Every serious athlete dreams of making it to the pinnacle of sports, the Olympic Games. This was no different for Samantha C. John, however, fate would have different plans for her in athletics, plans which she has accepted and is now hoping to give back as much as she can to the sport by assisting on the track wherever needed.
Off the track, John is into fiduciary services, having worked at Amerlink Management and Trust for 8 years and she is currently pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Business Management with a concentration in Accounting. The next move is to get her Bachelor’s Degree.
John’s talent as an athlete was recognised while a student at the Willard Wheatley Primary School and nurtured while a student of the Elmore Stoutt High School.
She at first concentrated on the 400m, however, her coach Willis Todman encouraged her to step it up to 800m. John still holds the national 800m record.
“He saw that I could have done it and after a couple of races I realised that I could do it.”
John had all intentions of pushing herself to the limit in the sport and to represent the territory on the international scene, including the Olympic Games.
“I would have loved to make it to the Olympics, and just to enjoy the sport and see how much I you could have gotten out of it at the time.”
Like many successful athletes who have made their return to top class competition after child birth, John was confident of doing that. Unfortunately, while on the comeback trail early last year she was injured and then was faced with some unexpected health issues that made it too challenging and risky to pursue athletics at a competitive level.
“I decided at the time that it would have been too risky to pursue. It was disappointing but in the end everyone, including my coach, supported the decision.
Assistant coach
These days, however, John has put the disappointments behind her and finds joy in her role as an assistant coach, working with young athletes.
She sees this as an opportunity to help others develop their talent and maybe take it to the next level.
“We have a lot of talent in the territory and it would be my dream to see that it is acknowledged and more people will come forward to help. I try to assist as much as I can out on the track.”
A soft heart for animals
Describing herself as easy going, John has an extremely soft heart for animals and it was no surprise to learn that at one stage of her life she wanted to become a veterinarian.
“I also wanted to work with the Canine Unit of HM Customs. I love animals and if I had my way my house would have been a farm,” John said with a laugh.
Track & Trust
As fate would have it, John ended up in fiduciary services and was there for eight years.
Her job at Amerlink Management and Trust started as an opportunity for her to concentrate on athletics but as the years went by John grew to appreciate the field she was working in a whole lot more.
She started off as a Secretary and then became an Assistant Corporate Administrator, which saw her doing a bit of everything.
Expressing deep gratitude to Amerlink, John said it has been a learning experience. “Your eyes are opened to a lot of things going on in that industry and how FSC plays a big role in companies and incorporations.”
Last week, however, John made a bold decision to concentrate fully on completing her studies at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College since her classes were conflicting with her working hours.
“I had to make a very difficult decision, especially in this economy, but I plan to resume working in January.”
Making tough decisions sometimes call for support and John is thankful that she has that.
“I have a very good support group that includes my mom and my coach, also Henrietta Alexander, Raheem Taylor, Nadia Norris, Nadia Collins, Shayna Aaron, her godmother and Mr Burt Dorsette and other close family and friends.”
Advice to youth
John advises youth to be adaptable and to never give up on life.
“Although the majority of the times things may not go your way, that is part of life. Things do happen but you never stay at that point where you are stagnant. Never stop moving, just keep pushing and making plans.”
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"Start by doing what is necessary; then by doing what is possible then suddenly you are be doing the impossible." - Francis de Assisi