Yeison L. Balbosa-Santana is a fireman and disc jockey. Photo: Facebook

Yeison L. Balbosa-Santana is employed as a fireman with the BVI Airports Authority. Photo: Provided

Entertaining the crowd as a disk jockey. Photo: Provided

Our young professional is also a proud father. Photo: Provided

Yeison has a priceless tag on ‘family’ and a desire to never stop climbing until he reaches the top. And when on top he will look for ways to build more stairs to climb higher.

Our young professional celebrated his birthday on August 11, 2016 and said he has every reason to be thankful for being alive. “I had a gun pointed to my head just last night (Wednesday night) but I am thankful to be alive and celebrating my 28^th birthday today,” said our Young Professional.

Not an easy road

Yeison was born in the Dominica Republic but moved to this territory with his mother and brother when he was just about eight (8) years old. Their migration was in search of a better life after Yeison had lost his biological father at the tender age of five (5).

Life was not an easy one for his family for many years none-the-less. He was very candid in relating that his mother ended up in a very abusive relationship with the man he referred to as his step-father. And many times he was forced to step in to defend his mother. This had serious adverse effects on him as he recalled being told all the possible negative things by the abuser.

It was from that tender age he decided that he had to do something to ensure a better life. His mom ensured that he was enrolled in school – Bregado Flax Educational Centre – where he completed his high school years.

Speaking passionately about his early struggles, Yeison recalled that before even becoming a teenager he got himself a weekend job where he washed cars. “I did that to ease my mother because she was just a bar tender and wasn’t making much money to give me and my brother the things we needed. So I washed cars every weekend and used the money to get things I needed,” he recalled.

All the while he ensured that he did his best at academics and said that while there were several teachers that helped him he will never forget one. “Oh my God, Miss Beryl Vanterpool, that teacher went above and beyond to work with me. She pushed me to the max and I ended up mastering English because of her and I will never forget her, never,” said Yeison.

Rising above the challenges

“Many persons never expected me to turn out to be the success I am today. Many persons told me that I was going to be a failure, that I would come out as just another one on the side, but I proved them all wrong. I thank them too because their negative comments motivated me to prove them wrong.”

Apart from doing his car wash jobs, while still in school he had moved on to gaining employment at BUCK on Virgin Gorda, again to help fund his needs to complete school and other essentials.

“I later got into construction after I completed high school but lost that job after the company went out of business, but I did not stop there. I sent applications to almost every place possible and the first to positively reply was the BVIAA (British Virgin Islands Airports Authority) and its now almost eight (8) years that I am in this job and cherishing it,” he said.

This was after being home for some eight (8) months.

At the BVIAA, he is the 2^nd Supervisor for his crew. “Being a fireman has caused me to develop a stronger love for life. It’s a job where you put your life on the line to possibly save the life of another person. I don’t know that I would want to leave this job like that. It has taught me so much, it has helped me to be the man I am today and I want to be here to continue to be one on the line, ready to answer the called when and if there is a need.”

Disc Jockey

Our young professional also operates his own business, is a Disc Jockey, and has pledged to always use his earnings to make life better for himself and family and those who he can bless along the way.

“I have my son, he is five (5) years old, his mother is dead; she took her own life. It’s painful enough that he asks me for her and I don’t know what to tell him [but] I am just waiting for him to grow older when he can understand better. So it’s not an easy road for me but my determination to succeed is what is propelling me along.”

He also said he vows to work to make sure his mother is never in a position again where she has to work hard to get the basic things she needs.

"I remember my mother had to wash for people just to get a bottle of milk for me to drink. She used to give us tea to drink until our belly full and fall asleep because she hadn't nothing else to give us. My mother is my hero and I will make her comfortable for the rest of her life."

Advice to Youth

Yeison recalled too that there was a stage in life where he was surrounded by ‘bad boy’ but never let their lifestyles influenced him. “I stood for what I believed in and that is to do good, do the right thing and look at me today, a successful businessman, graduated from high school, has a respectable job, I love and care for my family and reaching for the stars.”

His advice to the youth of today is: “Know that anything you want to do is possible, no friend, no person should cause you to do what you don’t want to do. Know what you want in life and work towards it. There will be problems or challenges along the way but use those as motivators to push you in the right direction.”