This Week We Feature Young Professional Karyn O. E. Alexander
Despite being born with cerebral palsy, Karyn O. E. Alexander, our young professional this week, has not let her physical ability stop her from achieving her goals.
Karyn, 24, hails from South Valley, Virgin Gorda and wants nothing more than seeing children grow and learn.
Educational background
She is a past student of the Little Rainbow Primary School in Virgin Gorda.
Following her completion of primary school, Karyn attended the Bregado Flax Educational Centre-Secondary Division and then the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) where she graduated with an Associate's Degree in General Studies with a concentration in English.
She further attended Arizona State University for two years and attained her Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communication and Media Studies.
"It was two years of informative, challenging and equally interesting classes and I'm proud to say that I received the award for highest grade point average (GPA) in the media studies cohort."
Karyn was a honour student at HLSCC and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa sorority. "I want other young people especially those with disabilities to think and say, I can do this."
Small business owner
Our young professional is a proud owner of Karyn's Place which is a children's school supply store.
Her job responsibilities include making contact with suppliers, establishing purchasing accounts, sourcing and selecting the best available materials for children. She also advertises and promotes products online.
"Satisfying my customers and discovering new and interesting educational items and trendy apparels are the best part of my job," said Ms Alexander.
Limited job opportunities
Karyn disclosed that she created her own business because job opportunities for persons with disabilities are limited.
She said, "There is no significant progress in catering to inclusive and equal employment practices. I intend to advocate for, and inspire changes in our attitude, behaviour and policies related to persons with disabling conditions."
Apart from running her own business, Karyn is a freelance writer and has published works in the Welcome Magazine, BVI Newbie and Virgin Islands News Online (VINO).
The social media enthusiast told our newsroom that she intends to expand her business and to obtain a Master's Degree in Business Journalism.
In addition, she wants to have a strong social media marketing presence and establish herself as an advertising agent.
Inspiration
Our young professional says Brooke Ellison, a quadriplegic, has been an inspiration to her.
"She persisted in her ambition and became the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University. Ms Ellison contributes to the world through her story, her research, teaching and motivational speeches," Karyn said.
Just like her inspiration, Karyn wants to make her contribution to society just like any normal person.
Karyn is on the move as she has been collaborating with Ms Lorna Dawson for the last two years on projects that focus on community awareness of special needs persons and how they are functioning in the Virgin Islands (VI) community.
Hobbies
When our young professional is not busy with work, you can find her shopping, reading and surfing social networking websites, which she uses to motive persons.
"This is one way I can make a difference in the lives of others as I try to inspire and motivate them via social media," expressed our young professional.
Advice to youth
Our young professional advises the youth never to give up on their dreams, specifically those who are facing any social, physical, emotional, academic or economic challenges.
"As Reverend Jesse Jackson said, 'keep hope alive'. Do the positive things that make you happy. Ignore those who say you won't accomplish your goals. Like me, be a warrior. Live life with a positive outlook and trust in God because he knows best," said Karyn O. E. Alexander.
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26 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Karyn O. E. Alexander”
VINO great choice as alway