This Week We Feature Young Professional Kyle H. Dasent
Our Young Professional this week is Mr Kyle H. Dasent, Network Operations Manager at CCT Global Communications.
Kyle grew up in a humble household, not having much but doing the best with whatever little the family could have provided. He was taught the importance of being contented and from a very early age his parents thought the values of being independent. His first lessons were about doing simple duties around the home.
“I would have to wash my own clothes, make my own food, and clean my own room. My dad taught me how to work for whatever I wanted in life and don’t wait for handouts. He taught me his trade (Marine Mechanics) and would give me jobs to earn my own money,” he said in recalling his boyhood days.
Further, in high school he wasn’t the boy who had the latest brand name gear or was the centre of attention among his peers. “I was the boy who wore all the non-brand sneakers and had to produce good grades before my mom blew a fuse.”
Kyle told the story of him getting his first pair of Jordan’s when he worked for the money and purchased it. To this day he remembers the details of that prized footwear. “They were red and black Jumpman’s that carried a message on the bottom of the shoe that read - Nothing of value comes without being earned.”
To this day that message still means something to him.
Determination & Ambition
One of our Young Professional’s greatest achievements was the day he made the decision to attend DeVry University on-campus in Miramar, Florida. He related that he liked DeVry because they offered hands-on learning. Getting there, however, was not easy as he vividly recalled not having the necessary funding.
“So being a bonafide BVIslander, I applied for a government scholarship and I was turned down twice.”
At the time he was employed at CCT Global Communications and so he also asked them for assistance, but the General Manager back then turned him down initially.
“So I started to scrape together my savings and sold my car to at least get me started the first semester and try to figure out the rest of my life from there. I tendered my resignation at CCT to get ready for my departure, then (luckily for me) they had a change of heart and decided to sponsor my tuition 2 weeks before my departure.”
He said that the interesting thing was when he got to the school there were a couple expatriates that had scholarships from the Virgin Islands (British), “But that’s life.” He humbly said.
After his first semester at DeVry, Kyle said he stopped paying for phone and internet services after conceptualising how equipment that powers the internet works. It was his way of survival and minimising expenses on a college boy’s budget.
Academics
Kyle graduated from the then BVI High School in 2001, then went on to the H Lavity Stoutt Community College where he graduated with a 2.83 GPA in 2005 before joining DeVry University where he graduated with a 3.97 GPA Suma Cum Laude in 2010.
Today he holds an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science, a Bachelor’s in Network & Telecommunications Management and a Cisco Certified Network Associate.
Kyle is currently not pursuing other studies as he is committed to giving his best to the homegrown telecommunications company that stepped in at the time of most need to ensure that he got the academic qualifications to further his dreams. However, he does have plans to go back to the books to keep up-to-date with the steady advancement of technology.
New heights
Our Young Professional admitted, however, that his dream career was to be the best and most qualified marine mechanic in the VI. Those dreams diminished when his dad passed away in 2004. “Currently my career is taking me to new heights in telecommunications and technology and I will continue on this path and keep building networks that serve the public, and passing on the knowledge to future eager upcoming network engineers,” he recalled, pausing for a few seconds to pay respect to his dad.
Kyle recalled that it was his uncle Don Fifield who introduced him to telecommunications while in college. He started off part time in 2004 then fulltime in 2005 and was just 19 years of age at the time.
In 2013, our Young Professional said he received an opportunity that rarely any young local in the VI ever gets to experience, and that is having someone not only believe in a local, but give them an opportunity. The current CEO of CCT, Mr Romney Averad Penn, was the person to give him that opportunity.
"In 2013 Averad entrusted me to manage the project of upgrading the network from the old GSM technology to the new 4G technology that we now have."
Kyle said it was a huge undertaking because it wasn't really an upgrading process. "The entire network was changed out."
Do what you love doing
When Kyle is not working he enjoys listening to music (all genres), power boating, sports, and anything that travels fast (cars, boats, jet-skis, 4wheelers).
His advice to youths, “Don’t do something because someone else says ‘it’s the thing to do’, do something because you love it, then you never work a day in your life. Challenge yourself and be patient, nothing happens before its time. You don’t have to prove anything to anybody except yourself. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to make changes in your life that will better you as an individual, especially when it comes to education and the people you keep around you.”
“Take your own advice. People who always know how to do it, they never did it. Don’t be afraid to fail, a setback is only a setup for a comeback. Don’t ever be satisfied with your own success. Keep striving for better; there is a sky above cloud 9. Pay attention to details. If you believe you can do it, you are absolutely correct. If you believe you can’t do it, then you are also correct.”
Our Young Professional also warned about being hooked on social media.
“Don’t get consumed by social media, it is a huge distraction. True self-worth is not judged by the number of likes you get on Facebook or the number of selfies you post in a day, it is judged by honesty and being real. If you’re real you don’t ever have to say it, the people you interface with will feel it. Last but not least, be ambitious. Dream the dream then chase it.”
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