From board house to King’s House
Teen mom triumphs against all odds
Though she became pregnant at 16, Monique Gordon was determined that this “small setback” wouldn’t change her destiny, as she fought hard never to be labelled as a “statistic”.
Gordon, now 27, is the public relations officer at The Office of His Excellency, The Governor General, at King’s House. It’s a long way from growing up in Denham Town, west Kingston.
“Everyone is preparing for CSEC [and] I got the great news that I was pregnant,” she said with a chuckle. “Initially, you hoped that it’s a nightmare or a dream you’ll wake up from but that was the case and that was my reality. I tried to conceal it for as long as I could because I couldn’t believe that this is actually happening to me [because] mi always seh, ‘dis cya happen to me,’ but it did.”
She admitted that she felt ashamed, hurt, and disappointed and tried to get rid of the ‘situation’ “in every sense of the word”.
“It just never happened so I continued to go to school and I completed the entire 11th grade and no one knew. [However, soon after] my mother found out and put me out of the family home and tell me fi ‘guh live wid who breed me’. And that was a scary time for me,” Gordon expressed, while noting that she was raised by a single mother in a single room board dwelling with four siblings.
With a self-driven attitude for success, the Holy Childhood High School graduate strived to prove the naysayers wrong, topping all 10 of her CSEC subjects. But she faced challenges in trying to enroll in a sixth form programme,, eventually completing secondary education at Merl Grove High School.
“Imagine sorting out having a child, having nowhere to go – essentially homeless, throughout having the stresses of sorting out SBAs. Nonetheless, I persevered and got all my subjects. My mother was elated at the news and she took me in and reverted to her supportive role,” she said, while noting that she has since forgiven her mother.
Spurred to further her education, she wrote letters to various entities for financial assistance for tertiary studies. She wanted to pursue her degree in integrated marketing communication at The Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC).
“I was always passionate about learning and education and found reading as an escape. Life at university was very different but I was still as active in my school community as I became the 2019-2020 president of the CARIMAC Students’ Society. University is like a playing ground for everyone of different background [because] even though I’m from a background where I’m not necessarily privileged [and] a violent-stricken area, I still felt included and like they wanted me there,” Gordon stated.
Now it was time to find a fulltime job but a lack of experience made it difficult. Gordon ended up doing 10 free internships and was even turned down after an initial interview at King’s House.
“[Later] I got a call from the Governor General Secretary (GGS) and she said ‘Monique, you know you’re very bright and I need people like you on our team. Would you be interested in an internship?’ and I said ‘Nope’ because I’m thinking it’s free and I was all interned out,” she recalled with a laugh. Gordon continued job hunting but eventually decided to give the GGS a call back. After learning that the internship was a paid one, she grabbed the opportunity and “the rest is history”.
After almost three years of working at King’s House, Gordon is tasked with writing speeches and messages on behalf of the governor general, coordinating his media appearances, and executing his media relations while being charged with undertaking King’s House tours”.
Gordon said she enjoys her job thoroughly as it is “right up her alley”; it’s a diverse environment with historical facts and a “space to thrive” as she also enjoys travelling. However, she is proud of her job as a mother and never regretted giving birth to her son King David, who she intentionally named, hoping the teachings of his biblical namesake will guide him.
“In a new age like this, it’s important to tell him that you have to believe in yourself and bring yourself closer to God and stresses the importance of education and having ambition,” she shared.
“In life, there’s a lot of road bumps, stop signs and rerouting but delay is no danger because with God on your journey, you’ll find your destination at the right time,” she said.