This week we feature young professional Xa’V D.A. Gordon. Photo: Provided

Xa'V is foremost a fitness instructor, sharing the vision of his parents and owners of Body Image Gym. Photo: Provided

Xa’V D.A. Gordon is also a martial arts instructor. Photo: Provided

Playing the trumpet! Xa’V D.A. Gordon is a young musician. Photo: Provided

Xa’V D. A. Gordon is just 16 years of age but is already making steps to be an extremely successful and highly productive professional whose intention is to make a difference by helping others.

Easily taking the record as the youngest young professional ever featured by this news site, Xa’V is currently, among many other things, a fitness instructor, even while a 5^th form student at the Elmore Stoutt High School and continues to be on the Honour Roll as was the case in primary school. He is preparing to be enrolled at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and to also start his Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) classes.

“The main thing is my mom and dad always say to me we didn’t have this chance we want you to take it and do your best. A lot of kids now-a-days dropping out of school but what I realise is that I am not them, I have something that I need to do and I am determined to get it done,” said our young professional for this week.

Fitness instructor

Xa’V is a recognised musician in his school band, a karate instructor of both youth and adults and the list goes on but most recently our young professional, with the support of his mother and father, has taken his profession up to another tier. He is now conducting fitness classes for youth ages 13 – 18.

“My mom encouraged me to start a class for the teens of the BVI, basically helping out in the community at a young age to inspire other people to get into the fitness world and treat their bodies right. And it’s something I am very passionate about and I have started it already right here at the Body Image Gym,” Xa’V said.

The young professional said he sees leading an unhealthy lifestyle as an epidemic in the VI and he is very enthusiastic about being the youth to lead the way to put a handle on this. “We have young people who feel that because they are of a certain age they wouldn’t have to worry about certain illnesses… they feel because they are young they have it for now but it can catch up to them over time and that’s why this class is very important, to help in the cause of encouraging a healthy lifestyle.”

He said the class is also designed to boost the confidence of youth in many ways, including going to the beach in a swim suit, walking the streets feeling confident and even socialising generally.

“For this is just me following in my dad’s footsteps, Mitchell Gordon, as he was the one that inspired me, really the main one. I have other role models including Xavi Pemberton, Nicholas Laurac and Micheal Jai White.”

Karate Instructor

Xa’V has vast experiences in the field of fitness. “I am actually a teacher in karate, a black belt. I teach children small and middle age and even adult. My life revolves around me being fit and being good at what I do.

“As a Karate instructor, I teach the children the importance of discipline and how it is always a great factor to have respect for people…that these things will take them far in life and give them opportunities not offered to many. I also show them that 'karate is not only a style of karate but a lifestyle,' words of my Chief instructor Professor Don Jacob. You can use many lessons learnt in karate to express how you live as a person. I also went to a few tournaments, one when I was 9 in Miami Florida in 2009 and the other here on the island at the Save the Seed Energy Centre at the age of 15.”

Our young professional made it known that he has a background to what he is doing and is not just some young guy now stepping into the game. Actually, he has been into karate from the age of 4 and taught his first class at the tender age of 10. That first class was with adults also. “That was a one of a kind experience that they remember to this day,” he recalled with glee.

The current classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Body Image gym, from 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

 Musician

As a musician, Xa’V said it has always been hard work and dedication but he has received help from his current teacher Mr Andre S. L. Braithwaite. “I've been to many concerts over the last 3 years of being in the Elmore Stoutt High School, my first of which was the Spring Concert in 2013. I am now currently the section leader of the trumpets and I sit 1st chair for my performances.”

Xa’V is currently in 2 bands; the senior and jazz bands and just recently performed in St Thomas, USVI.

Career goals/Advice to youth

X’aV’s ultimate career goals are two-fold. The first is that he has a vision to turn his parents’ business, Body Image Gym, into a franchise all across the world. “Mainly in the USA, branch it off from there for my parents. I just want to give back to them, making sure they see that they didn’t just raise a child to take care of you in the future but to take care of your finance and everything after that. I just want them to see that they sent me to school to do something and I did it with a passion.”

His advice to youths is a personal motto that he has been applying to his life: “Work hard at what you do best and if you don’t succeed you just keep trying, trying, trying because one day it will all pay off.”