Giving up is not an option.
“Put him in a pulpit and he becomes a preacher.”
THIS POPULAR adage is used when giving credit to that one person who can do just about anything. In this case, it is a ‘her’ that is being referred to: Nicola Brown-McKenzie — a woman highly rated by the staff and management at Sandals Resorts in Negril.
With the ability to assume and master whatever role with which she is tasked, whether in her personal or professional capacity, Brown-McKenzie shines as the environment, health and safety manager at Beaches Negril Resort and Spa. But according to the organisation, she is more than capable and equally willing to lend a helping hand to any department should the need arise.
The 32-year-old woman has been such a respected hardworker that the resort saw it fit and fair to award her 2015’s Most Valuable Player (Manager of the Year).
However, like most success stories, hers is one of triumph over many misfortunes.
Brown-McKenzie struggled through high school financially. Immediately after her graduation, she got pregnant, and was thrust into single parenthood, unemployment, and further poverty. She recalls walking the length and breadth of Negril dropping off application letters and begging for the chance to be interviewed in any Organisation just to prove to those who were hiring that she was worth the chance.
She recalled not being able to purchase clothing for her newborn and having to rely on hand-me-downs for the first two years of her child’s life.
“I have never been one to give up, and what I wanted most of all was for a chance to give my daughter the best education and the best life possible. I wanted more than anything to be able to afford an ice cream on a Sunday evening for her. When I remember how I had to tell her no because I didn’t have the J$50 to buy one when the ice cream bike came through the community, I get very emotional,” Brown-McKenzie shared.
THANKFUL FOR FAMILY
It was a grateful woman that spoke about how being part of the family at Beaches Negril helped her to become a woman worth celebrating and a mother worth modelling despite being unemployed and inexperienced at the time.
“I am just so thankful to this resort for giving me so much. Not only did I get a job and my independence, I got the opportunity to do additional subjects at the CSEC level, job promotions, and a scholarship through the Sandals Corporate University to pursue a degree in primary education and exposure to many aspects of the hotel’s operations.”
Brown-McKenzie, in comparing her life 15 years ago to the present, said it is like night and day, and she is filled with gratitude for all that she has been able to achieve over the years.
“When I look at where I am today and where I am coming from, sometimes I have to pinch myself. I am not afraid to share my story because I want people to look at me and know that whatever they may be going through, giving up is never an option. Always believe that something good is bound to happen,” she said, adding that her aim is also to be an example to her children and the many youngsters she has empowered over the years.