This Week We Feature Young Professional Elvon Pope aka ‘Barny’
Ms. Gwenette C. Hodge is a woman whom our Young Professional for This Week Mr Elvon Pope says deserves a lifetime award for being the ‘Strongest and Best Mother’ of all time. For him she holds the scepter that is responsible for his beat in life and for him being the person he is today.
He calls her his hero and said there are a few others that have made a great impact on his young life, mentioning one of his senior fellow teachers at the Francis Lettsome Primary School in Greenland, East End, Tortola.
A member of the Rotaract Club of Tortola, Pope said after graduating from the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College with an associate degree in computer science finding a job was not as easy as he would have thought. But according to him, “What’s in this life for you, you will get it.” He never dreamt of ever becoming a teacher.
Here is where he mentioned another significant person that is responsible for him taking his first leap into a profession for which he is well qualified. He recalled that while at a club activity one day, destiny directed Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn to chat with him for a while.
He said that the discussion led the Minister to direct him to submit an application and today he sits as an inspiration to children at the Francis Lettsome Primary School. “First I sent out open ended applications all over because I was ready to do any job to start off my life but my passion is in the science of computers,” he said. He teaches computers science to students from Class 1 – 5.
Once in the classroom a new passion was born. “I really love what I am doing especially because I realize that there are children who need someone to give them just a little attention, no child is bad, I am this young and realizing that children act out in various ways simply because in most cases they are lacking some love and attention from their parent/s,” he said very emotionally.
“To start off with I never wanted to become a teacher but being thrown into the field you learn a lot, it takes a lot of patience to deal with the children.”
“That is why I cannot stop talking about my mother, she took on the mother and father role and she was a very firm parent, that woman is a rock; a champion; she is a hardened woman, she’s tough,” he added.
He especially remembers one child who loves doing things with rubber bands, “So whenever he does one he finds me wherever I am at and says Mr Pope look what I did! Some children just need attention.”
He teaches computers and very soon he would be moving on to further his studies overseas as he wants to read for a degree in computer science art and thereafter continue to pursue his ultimate dream of becoming one of the many world wizards when it comes to computers. “I want to one day be so expert in computers that you can call me on the phone and say this is what has happened to your computer and without even looking at that computer I must be able to tell you what the problem is and I must be able to fix it too.”
“I just like learning new things about the computer; I am trying to be the best that I can be at computers.”
He is currently, however seeking to get an associate degree in Education. “I am in education; it’s a new found love of mine so why not get the necessary qualification that binds you with something you love? so that’s what I will do first.”
This 21 year old was also born with a special gift and that is the skill of art, “I just love drawing, it just comes naturally.
I will make use of that gift that I was born with,” he said while noting that he does not intend to spend the rest of his life sitting back in one career. “I realize that once you are a focused person you can do so many things and be good at it so I will be one of those to profess at more than one career.”
He also loves helping people and this is one of the reasons he has been devoting much of his time to activities of Rotaract. “We are a group of young professionals just trying to make a difference in our community, so we try to grab the youths and we try to bond with them and help them be a part of something a little bigger so that’s how I met the Minister.”
“I just like knowing that I did something to help you in some way,” he stressed as he continued to speak of his ultimate dream of become the best he can ever be, “I am not afraid of the challenges that may come along, they would only make me stronger and wiser.”
Playing the piano and drums is something he is now attempting as he said that he feels music in his soul. “I love music, it’s something that I can do with my hands, I like using these hands God blessed me with,” he said.
His advice to youths of today and the future is, “Listen to your parents. You see at my age I did not grow up knowing my father per se and I know what it can feel like growing up not knowing your father. You might tend to go down the wrong path; you might tend to follow a lot of friends.”
“I have a mother who played both father and mother to me. Listening to her she never allowed me to slacken up, so I would say listen to your parents.”
“Another thing is to always push for what you want. The faster you can get out of school is the faster you get into college, the faster you get out of college is the faster you get into work, the faster you into work that is where you can really pursue what you want to do.”
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24 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Elvon Pope aka ‘Barny’”
Behind every great man is indeed a great woman. Sometimes, however, that great woman is a Mom......
Keep up the good work.