A Journey of Purpose and Mentorship -A Story of Resilience, Learning and Lifting Others Along The Way
If someone had told me 40 years ago that I would be a leader in the academic world today, they would have received a shocked look and a hearty laugh.
Born at a private nursing home in eastern Kingston, Jamaica, I grew up in a close family unit with my older sister and brother, and a very industrious mother. Even though I found out later that I did not share the same father with my siblings, there was no division in this family.
My mother kept it all together using the salary she made working in the finance department of the Jamaica Omnibus Service – the local bus company at the time and taking in boarders to supplement the income. My early education pursuits were at the Calabar Infant School and St. George’s Girls School, where I was awarded a ‘free place’ in the Common Entrance Examinations to Excelsior High School. I entered that prestigious institution with headmaster.
A. Wesley Powell, trailing in the footsteps of my brother and sister, who were by that time leaving after completing their 5-year programme. You can just imagine the many comparisons I received from teachers, as my sister was the ‘goody two shoes’ that served to cramp my style. After high school, the decision was to be made about the future. At the time, I saw advertisements for Air Stewardesses and broached the conversation with my mother who just shut me down. “You are not going to become some glorified waitress” were her exact words, not forgotten ��. So, the decision there and then was back to school, where I became a part for the first cohort of the EXED Community College. After a year, I made the transition to a 4-year degree programme in the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus.
Lifelong friends were made at UWI… I enjoyed all the good and bad things that university students get involved in. After graduating from UWI, options were slim and ended up being hired to teach fourth to sixth formers at St. Andrew High School for Girls, located in Half-Way-Tree, Kingston. It became a time for mentoring almost four years like a big sister, as I was no more that 4 – 5 years older than some of the students being taught. This was a springboard for how my life would progress after this teaching stint. As time came to get married and start a family of my own…movement was made into the private sector.
Throughout my journey in ‘corporate’ this mentoring theme continued. I always encouraged my staff to continue with academic pursuits or training in skills that would give them options, Supervisory Management and eventually a master’s degree in communication studies from CARIMAC, at the UWI. The joy for me as a manager, was getting feedback from my staff that my encouragement meant a lot to them and led to success in their endeavours. The mentoring did lead to ‘jealousy’ on the part of others, as I carry a memory of a peer saying to me ‘you are mothering the staff.” After leaving ‘corporate,’ decisions were again to be made.
The thought came to me: Why not make yourself useful in mentoring young adults as you did with your staff? For some reason unknown, my eyes turned to this university, that at one time in my early working years offered short courses under IMP for professional development, one of which I pursued and was successful. I just made the application and lo and behold was called to an interview for a lecturer position at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean. The conversation opened during the interview and one of the panelists asked: “Would you be willing to head the business department?” The answer was: “I am willing to give it a try.” And so, the journey at
UCC began in 2016.
It has been a joy for me to continue playing this mentoring role to the thousands of students in the School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Management (SOBEM). “I smile when students reach out to me and say: “Miss, I don’t think this programme is for me. Can I transfer?” That was me in my younger day. Making transitions is part of life and allows for growth and development. In all this though, I am a believer that there is some “Higher Order Being” that has been watching over me, opening my eyes to opportunities, providing senior executives who have seen my potential and allowed me the room to ‘do my thing.’
I am now trying to pay it forward, in how I shape the services that the UCC SOBEM offers to its clientele. I have a good team; the mentoring continues with them too and the development of their own skills though cross-training in the various operational areas. I think life has been good to me and there is still more to be done.
Sonia D. Davidson is the Dean of the School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Management at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC). With over 25 years of corporate leadership experience in marketing, communications, and business development, she brings extensive industry expertise to higher education. Since joining UCC in 2016, she has been passionate about mentoring students, developing future business leaders, and promoting lifelong learning. She holds a Master of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of the West Indies and a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning with Emerging Technologies, awarded with Distinction. Her leadership philosophy centres on empowering others through education, mentorship, and professional growth.
