Vulda McGregor endured her struggle
Ryan Waldron
Ryan Waldron

– for her son to excel at CSEC

SHE wakes up during the wee morning hours to prepare various home-made snacks to vend on the streets of Mackenzie. Most times, she is sleepy-eyed, tired and exhausted from the six-day a week routine. Sometimes she feels like giving up, but every time she thinks of her son, her little Ryan, and how necessary it is for him to get an education, which can potentially be their salvation out of a hard life, her zest is renewed and her hands are ready to face that fire, to prepare her snacks and to hit the road to sell them.

This is the daily life of Vulda McGregor, mother of Ryan Waldron, a student of Queen’s College who sat this year’s Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) and was very successful. He sat 13 subjects and gained two Grade Ones, seven Grade Twos and four Grade Threes.

Knowing that his mother was his major supporter, since she is a single parent, Ryan summed it up in three words, “I did it for my mother.”

“When I was writing, all that I kept thinking about was my mother, I wanted to make her proud and I said to myself that the only thing I can do, is to make her smile. I wasn’t doing all of that good at school especially with Maths, my grades were not where it should be, especially Maths and I knew she was getting nervous, so all I wanted to do was to make her proud,” the overjoyed Ryan said.

That is indeed a touching phrase that would melt any mother’s heart. Vulda said that she is extremely satisfied with his results and she is very proud of her son. “My heart is satisfied,” she said.

What is more noteworthy of Ryan’s situation is that he travelled every day from Linden to Georgetown to attend Queen’s College for five years. Imagine having to wake up 04:00 hrs every morning to hit the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, knowing that you will be home after dark and still have to do it again the next day.

With the limited time in the evenings and even with a sapped will, Ryan still had to complete assignments and homework and study.

“I had to wake up around 04:00 hrs every morning and most nights I came home around 18:00 hrs. I still had the extra work to push in so I didn’t really get enough rest, I didn’t get to attend any lessons either because of the limited time or with Maths, I would have needed lessons to help with the practice, if I had lessons I knew I would have done better,” Ryan related.

His mother had to face the financial strain of upkeeping him at Guyana’s top ranking high school. The bus fare per month alone was $20, 000. In addition to that, Ryan had to get a snack every day, money for assignments and other necessities. To make it work, Vulda faced the broiling sun every day, vending her homemade snacks on the streets of Mackenzie to make it happen for her son.

She said, “I am satisfied with his results because travelling for five years, for five days a week, it’s difficult, it’s a challenge. I also thank God for the support from the church people and the little business I have, I could have sent him, God made a way and I know he will continue to make a way, I will continue to support him. I know God will make the way to continue to support him because he will be going to Sixth Form and then university after.”
Ryan will be doing CAPE at Queen’s College and he hopes to become an electrical engineer one day. He expressed thanks to God for his success and everyone who would have supported his mother, including the church family and other relatives and friends.

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