Why did your family leave Kingston, Jamaica, for Kingston, Ontario?
In those days, people with post-secondary aspirations went to Canada, U.S., or England. My father applied to Canada and was accepted at a couple of schools. And one of them was a school in Kingston, Ontario, called Queen's. Maybe it was a sign. I spent my first seven years living with my brother and my paternal grandmother in Jamaica and then my brother and I moved up when my father was completing his second degree, which was in law.
What lessons did your parents teach you?
One of the things they always stressed is that they brought us to Canada because of the opportunities that were here, so hard work was an important value. Getting the best education that you could, and not wasting opportunities. It was interesting, because even though we were very much a minority in the community, the message to myself and my siblings was always that there shouldn't be any opportunity that you should think of as being closed off to you.
You moved to Ottawa when you were 11. What are your memories of this time?
The Rough Riders became a big part of my life. I'd already been introduced to football and my dad had gone to Queen's with Ronnie Stewart who was, by then, a big Rough Rider legend.
What role did athletics play for you?
I was a high energy kid, so sports became a great outlet for me. I loved playing all different sports.
Did you play hockey?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring - Summer 2023 من Ottawa Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Spring - Summer 2023 من Ottawa Magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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