One of the primary missions of My Reflection Children’s Bookstore is to get children across Trinidad & Tobago excited about reading.
Reading stimulates a child’s developing mind with creativity and intelligence in powerful, life-changing and dramatic ways.
Parents and educators therefore have a sacred responsibility to ensure that the children in their orbit are exposed to books as early and often as possible and develop a true love for reading.
For inspiration, I am very excited to launch the first in a series of portraits of brilliant, creative and industrious young adults who attribute their achievements to having been raised with a deep love for reading.
The first young adult to be featured in this series is National Scholarship winner, Ajamu Crosby.
Tell us about yourself and your achievements
My name is Ajamu Crosby, and I am a National Scholarship winner, Mechanical Engineer and Author that hails from the Beetham Gardens.
I would say that I had a very interesting life thus far, with a journey that is nothing less than that of pioneer. In 2016 after excelling at the CAPE examinations, I had the esteemed opportunity of being awarded a national scholarship in the category of Natural Sciences. This was one of the many groundbreaking achievements of my life for it was creating a new image of what someone from the Beetham Gardens could be.
My trail blazing did not stop there and in 2021, I graduated from the University of the West Indies with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering with honors. With no stop sign in sight, I continued to create and innovate writing my first Book “JAMSEFFECT” that will be published in March of 2022.
These are just some of the highlights of my life and it all started with me valuing the importance of reading. My book will go into great detail on the superpower that is reading and how it navigates us through the societal cosmos; more on that to come!
To what do you credit your success in life?
Firstly, I give credit and thanks to the almighty God for blessing me with life and a mother who had the mentality to want more for herself and children. With respect to what I could have controlled, I would credit my drive and focus for my successes. Hard work is the key, without it we are nothing and the rat race will leave you out. To me hard work is an imaginary friend that takes you places thought unimaginable before, conceptualizing how we must view our work ethic.
Reading is so important in our process of achieving academic success and it is a skill that I want every child to have.
In the Beetham Gardens, every child does not have consistent access to books or education and I vow to slowly but surely aid in changing that.
I can go on and on about the many tools that can be credited for my successes for there are so many things that I had to overcome in order to climb to the mountain top.
How has reading shaped your life?
From as young as I can remember, I was always surrounded by books. My mother really did see the importance of reading and ensured that my three siblings and I all had library cards at the Nalis Library in Tunapuna. Coming from a community like the Beetham Gardens, reading allowed for the exponential understanding of our world and things I did not see in my environment.
As the late great Dr. Eric Williams once famously said “the future of this nation lies in the book bags of our children”, and in those bookbags lie books ….read, read, read!
The national library is truly a gem for our children and should be seen as a pillar for youth development.
How can we get children in T&T excited about the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM)?
My obsession with science and mathematics was something that came organically through my love for the stars and space. This was manifested through countless hours of reading Stephen Hawking books and surfing the internet for things like astronomy and astrophysics.
My advice for getting children into these types of fields is that it must be organic and not forced. Put them in environments where they can learn about “STEAM” and present it in a fun and enthusiastic way.
A true gem that already helps this cause is the National Science Center at NIHERST. I could recall being so excited to go on fields trips there while growing up. These are the ways we must bring the wondering minds of children and science together.
Save the algebra and equations of motion for a little later, enthrall them with the beauty and vastness that is science. From chemical reactions that change colors, to the beauty of the universe and all its components, make it visual and then bring the reading into it.
What advice do you have for parents of children in economically-depressed communities?
As someone that comes from the Beetham Gardens the best advice I can give to parents in a similar social standing is to find ways of letting your children know that the world is more than just their environment. For example, my mother took us to school in Tunapuna and through that my siblings and I were able to understand that there was a whole other way of living outside of the Beetham Gardens. Interacting with students at school and the library really changed my behaviors and attitudes.
Refuse to limit your children because of where they are from, for the universe in itself started at a single point and has expanded infinitely. I understand that resources are not at our disposal but if it is one thing, I implore parents to do, with whatever resources they have, is to invest in their children. Invest not only money but time. Break down the walls of your community and let the imagery of how amazing and grand our world is be illustrated. There will be setbacks but stay the course and your children will get there!
What advice do you have for children?
To the children of our nation, to the children of the world, enjoy your childhood, learn as much as you can, find your passion and pursue it. Your passion may not be mathematics or physics, it may be art or dance. Embrace it and give it your all. The motto of JAMSEFFECT is “become a pioneer” because often we forget that we can blaze our own unique trail. It is okay to be different, it is okay to be expressive, it is okay to have dreams that are larger than life. Just remember to put your mind to it and dive deep into whatever it is your dreams are.
As a child I did not have my life figured out but I knew what I enjoyed and I stuck with it and watered that flower until it blossomed.
Be a part of the “JAMSEFFECT” movement and walk your own path towards success, become a pioneer! I would leave you with this quote of mine, “When you find your purpose, your soul erupts with energy and excitement. The universe has answered your calling.
If you had an opportunity to be a Youth Advisor to the Minister of Education, what advice would you give her?
I would love to have an opportunity like this because there are misunderstandings with respect to how education is perceived in Trinidad and Tobago. In our society we learn to remember, whereas I feel we should learn to create. The “memory exams” that are present in our current education system sells the human brain short. We have many more capabilities that I feel like the creativity of our children is underutilized.
Grading our children on the basis of creativity and innovation opens up a lot more doors for the impoverished because they won’t have to rely heavily on expensive textbooks and extra lessons. Instead, we provide them with an environment in which they can create and express themselves, working with them alongside their ideas.
Now I am not saying to completely do away with the current education system, but I am saying to add elements that allow for more flexible ways of educating our children. There may be a young man in Laventille who has a talent for mathematics and numbers but is unable to reach his peak because of the wall of expensive school supplies between them.
There is no one solution but let us at least turn the ignition to get this car on the road towards a better holistic educational system.
Keep in touch with Ajamu Crosby
Ajamu is definitely a brilliant and enlightened young man with a bright future and loads of wisdom to share with people of all ages.
Keep in touch with him here:
- www.instagram.com/jams_effect
- www.facebook.com/ajamu.crosby
- Email: ajamucrosby@hotmail.com
My Reflection Children’s Bookstore provides children’s books with diverse main characters to promote self-love and a love for reading among children.
Shop online at www.myreflectiontt.com for delivery to any address in Trinidad & Tobago.
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