–young Vishal Hulbert Joseph has eyes set on the future

LIFE has not always been smooth sailing for Vishal Hulbert Joseph, who was forced to make a few decisions that would prove crucial to his future endeavours. In fact, at just 17, he was practically on his own, pursuing sixth form studies and a job at the same time.

Vishal shared his story just recently with the Guyana Chronicle, and he could not help but reflect on how well his life has turned out, even though he had quite a few bumpy roads to travel.

A ‘Georgetown’ boy all his life, Vishal completed all of his education on Camp Street. He began at the Starter’s Nursery School, and then pressed on to St. Margaret’s Primary and Queen’s College, where he completed sixth form.
Vishal is forever grateful that his parents, Lennox Joseph and Savitri Singh, along with his caring teachers, paid attention to his education, and provided the nudge he needed to excel academically.

Vishal would not elaborate on the details regarding the challenges he faced when he was just about to begin sixth form, but he did say that the circumstances at the time required that he live on his own. Through it all, he came out successfully with 12 subjects at the CSEC examinations.
“Transitioning between CSEC and CAPE was a time of my life where I was forced to make a decision to live on my own for one reason or another. It was a very rough time, especially as I was accustomed to having my parents provide everything for me, and now having to balance school with finding a job.”

But he doesn’t regret dealing with the rough patches one bit. In fact, he believes that this period of his life molded and helped him find himself as a young adult.
Vishal took up residence at one of his father’s houses, but the problem he faced was that he couldn’t find a job. In time, though, he heard that the OLPF (One Laptop Per Family) project was hiring, and he took a chance at applying.
“When I went for the interview, I was told I couldn’t be hired, because I was in uniform. But I asked for a chance to prove that I can pull my weight and earn my coin,” Vishal recalled. He had to skip school on those days that he was required to go on outreaches across the country, and the project manager made concessions for him to work after school.
Vishal would eventually become an experienced project manager, with a demonstrated history of positive growth in venture management, and a business focus on human medicine, agriculture and technology, with skills that enable him to work with non-profit organisations, perform strategic negotiations, craft youth and political policies, and advise on disaster risk reduction and response.

He has been serving in numerous capacities such as being a member of the Red Cross’ National Disaster Intervention Team, domestic and international steering committees in the Lions/Leos Movement, as a project ambassador of the One World Youth Project, and on the Guyana National Youth Council as a member of the Finance Committee.
His affiliations also extend to other domestic, regional and international civil society organisations, and he has made contributions towards the drafting of the National Disaster Plan of Guyana, national ICT youth engagement mechanisms, fostering and catalysing civic engagement in political reform.

Vishal is currently reading for his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree, whilst also participating in courses on Negotiation, Mediation and Conflict Resolution with the ESSEC Business School of France, and is an aspiring statesman with a passion for the promotion of national values.

For the promotion of national values as well as his contributions to human and social development, he was appointed as a Queen’s Young Leader in 2015 by HRH Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2016 as an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society. He is also the recipient of a national youth award from the Government of Guyana.

PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS

Vishal accedes that becoming the President of Guyana is a tall order, but this would by no means change his mind from pursuing it. “I’ve always wanted to become President of Guyana. I know it’s quite a long shot, but I am working on it; everything in its own time. I am making the steps that I need to make,” he said.

Regarding all of the sacrifices that he would have made, he said he views them as having built him into the person that he is today. “Had I had the luxuries… maybe I would have been a different person. Maybe I would have been spoilt and overly entitled, but being able to struggle through those things, I say that I didn’t die, and I never really fell ill. So I don’t take things for granted, because I have had to work very hard for everything that I’ve wanted.”

Vishal, with some amount of interest in politics, is aiming for a policy position in the future. “I think Guyana is at a point in history where we need a new political culture; one that promotes true cohesion among the people.”
He believes that young people ought to get up and be the change that they want to see. “Don’t just do it because it’s something fun, or do it because it looks good; do it because there is purpose and passion,” he said.

While Vishal holds strongly to his work ethics, he said he loves to hang out with fun people. To him, there is nothing better than good Soca music. “I think that after hard work there is play. I love Soca, and I just like to have good, clean fun with good food, good wine, good friends, good company, and talking about how we can make our country and each other better.”
Vishal has founded ‘Bookworms’, a non-profit which serves children and students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds across Guyana, with the aid of civil society donations.