This Week We Feature Young professional Shane K. Alphonso
Mr Shane K. Alphonso is a man with an interesting personality, a big heart and one that is prepared to dig long and deep to get to that stage in life where he sees his dreams come through and his life's mission accomplished. In addition, Shane is one individual who is not shy to say exactly how he feels about any given situation.
He spoke passionately about the hard punches life in Tortola has thrown at him, the unaccountable road blocks he has come up against, and the many red tapes he has to make it through.
"Tortola used to mean everything to me until it started throwing the licks at me. So I started travelling a bit to compare how advanced the outside world is and what it has to offer compared to us, even some of the other Caribbean countries."
At this stage of his life he has no children "and I am not looking to have any right now because I must have a certain foundation first," said Mr Alphonso. What he does have is the passion to one day branch off from being employee to a private entrepreneur.
Today he works at the Public Works Department of the Virgin Islands and is presently stationed on Tortola. Tortola is home for him as he is a born and bred "Tolan". His foundation is still well rooted but says he has been hit with some hard punches along the way.
"I am not as fortunate as many others who were born into a wealthy family and were fortunate to get into some business, which they would have inherited. I have to be digging from scratch and it’s not easy," said the young man. "You never know how hard something is until you start trying it," he added.
Today he holds legal licenses for construction, taxi dealership and rental and-the one he loves the most- automotive repairs.
Shane's love for mechanics was nurtured from a tender age as he spent his boyhood days around his father, who was regarded as an excellent mechanic. Our young professional said he is not like the tailor who says he only has to hear about the man coming around the corner and be able to sew a perfect suit. However, he said he has a God-given talent to see any problem when it comes to automotive and fix it. "That's just a gift I have from the maker."
Shane K. Alphonso has decided to make a big sacrifice in order to chase after his dreams and that is to minimise most if not all of his social activities and hobbies. "I guess I am making sacrifices now by not liming as much and I have cut out some of my habits that were costing me money that I didn't need to spend or pay out. So in other words I don't go out to clubs like that anymore. I don't go around in fast cars anymore because I like boats and cars and anything that moves fast I love it so I had to tone that down a lot to keep money in my pocket, " he said.
Shane said he is not the type that is chasing after becoming a millionaire but wants to be in private enterprise to live a comfortable life and to do something that he loves most while still be able to impact the lives of others.
He admitted he has learnt the hard way over and has come to the realisation that, "If you are not a go getter, if you are not a digger, you are not going to get any place because it’s not easy. You have to be persistent and consistent."
Our young professional has a burning concern for the youth of today. He said that it hurts deep when he hears persons saying that the youth don't want to work or be innovative and go into business. "From my personal experiences I am sure that we have so many young men and women out there who would have tried but were not as strong to stand up to the red tapes. To get by in this place you have to go through so much hurdle, push around and those things and that's why so many young people of today give up."
Shane added that the fast lane of earning much is a very easy road but challenged youths to find their inner strengths, hold on to their dreams and never stop fighting. "The fast money or fast lane has consequences and really harsh consequences, which is not worth the while. It’s better to bear the tests and hurdles and red tape and be able to sleep easy."
While he endeavours to continue looking beyond the horizon and thinking outside of the box, Shane hopes within the next five to ten years he will be able to see the sunshine bringing his life dreams to reality. But until then, he promises to stick with the big trucks, and other machinery.
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21 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young professional Shane K. Alphonso”
Very good article and they man is a true kind person willing to help out in any way possible.
Hope and Pray he gets all he wants in life he truley desirves it.
Great choice vino. A very deserving recipient of such an honor.
Take care