By Wendella Davidson

NEW JERSEY-based Guyanese, Odel Andre Wade, believes in and embraces Colin Powell’s quote, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”

Born at Kwakwani, a mining and logging community on the Berbice River, Odel remembers growing up in poverty.

He began his formal education at Kwakwani Primary School but left when his father, Roy Wade, decided to relocate to Yeoville, a West Coast Berbice (WCB) village, to live at a house that belonged to his parents.

In an interview with the Pepperport Magazine, Odel said he falsely believed that the change would have improved his standard of living, but instead, the house became the new home for himself, dad, stepmom and three brothers from his father’s side, and had no furniture, electricity nor running water.

It is those circumstances and a determination to succeed in life, belief in God and fervent prayers that Odel, now 47 and a retired sergeant in the United States Army who owns a security company, believes is responsible for his upward mobility.

Odel said he enrolled at the Number 29 Primary School, wrote the Secondary School Proficiency Examination (SSPE) and was awarded a place at the Bush Lot Secondary School. “I vividly remember attending both primary and secondary schools barefooted and had to wear `hand me downs’ or secondhand uniforms. My stepmom worked part-time as a maid and those were things she got from her employer,” he said. He remembered, too, he and a brother having to walk about five miles to attend school.

According to him, unfortunately, he didn’t finish secondary school since he felt he needed to learn a trade and start working if he wanted to have a better life. He said he enquired from some boys who were attending the New Amsterdam Technical Institute of the procedure, then in 1987, at age 15 years, he wrote the entrance examination, was successful and pursued a course in Electrical Engineering.

Odel said in August 1992, he joined the Guyana Police Force (GPF) but left in 1998 to work at the Timehri Airport as a security officer with BWIA, now Caribbean Airlines.

New start

Odel said he subsequently got married and with his wife living in the United States, he left these shores on September 28, 2001, exactly two weeks after the 9/11 tragedy, to start a new life in the `Big Apple.’

Odel said he lived with his mother-in-law but did not want to be a burden to anyone, so he quickly found a job as a construction worker. He also started attending GED classes to enable him to be more marketable on the job market.
According to him, he landed a job at the John F Kennedy (JFK) airport as a security agent with Delta Airlines, but while success came one way, his marriage unfortunately crumbled. “I did not let that deter me from moving forward. I began to focus even harder and took advantage of all available opportunities to further qualify myself,” he said, adding that by 2006, he had certificates that qualified him as a private investigator and a loss prevention officer.

Odel said following a two-year relationship with Tenday Hall, in 2007 he tied the knot and the following year enlisted in the United States Army and remembers doing 307 hours in online correspondence classes through the army’s learning institutions. Odel said in 2015, he also graduated with an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Berkeley College and was on the Dean’s List. The following year, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the said college.

Further developments
Of his tenure in the U.S. Army, Odel said while it was gruelling it was worth every bit of the sacrifice and by the time he resigned on February 21, 2020, he had attained the rank of sergeant. He was also qualified in several disciplines, including, as a Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive Specialist (CBRNE); in Self Defence and as a Combat Field Medic. Odel served on deployment in Germany on two occasions.

With a combined total of 34 years in the field of security, as a security specialist and a consultant, Odel says he formed his security outfit `Warrior Analytica’ in the U.S. and provides bodyguard and escort services for diplomats and celebrities.
Odel is of the view that God has answered his prayers to bring him out of poverty. In gratitude, he tries to assist the less fortunate and also participates in several volunteer activities.

A wife’s support

Meanwhile, his wife Tenday, an ever-supporting arm alongside him, recalls that when she met Odel it didn’t take very long for her to understand the determination, drive and goals in him, adding, that as the sixth of seven children to a single-parent mom, she too had grown up in a home where things were `very’ rough at times.

“I admired my mother single-handedly doing her best to provide for and make the family comfortable. I have awesome childhood memories of my homeland, Guyana, before migrating in 2002 at age 20, to the United States,” she added.

In May this year, Tenday graduated from Rowan University in Psychology. It was a non-normative life event which one of her daughters experienced that was the catalyst and motivated her to switch from majoring in Nursing to Psychology, she noted.

“I felt this career choice was going to help me understand my daughter’s behaviour and mental process. I wanted to understand how she thinks, acts and feels. I wanted to acquire a range of different skills, ranging from behaviour observation to the physiology of the brain, so that I can help her and other children like herself, as well and their families, to cope with such situations,” she reckoned.

On being able to balance family life, work and studies, Tenday remarked, “I am truly blessed and grateful that God has placed such a loving and hardworking man in my life. When we met 16-years-ago, it was obvious that our goals were the same; we both wanted to achieve almost the same things in life, including a home, be qualified and provide and lead a decent life for our children. We both understood and discussed what had to be done to accomplish the so-called `American Dream’, in the best and honest way. We also used and continue to use effective communication as an essential element to keep our relationship alive.”

Between them, they have a boy and three girls, two of the girls she mothered but according to her, they all make a “great blended family.”

Before she decided to return to school, Tenday said she discussed it with the family, knowing that any decision would have a profound impact on everyone. She said she created a balance by sitting with the kids as she did her assignments and they did homework, ensuring her presence if ever they needed any help. Additionally, the family would eat breakfast and dinner together and openly discuss any issues affecting anyone and devise a plan on how to have it resolved.

Tenday hopes to further pursue studies to become a clinical social worker (CSW). She describes Odel as “smart, industrious and my everything,” noting that apart from providing financial and emotional support, he was of great assistance during her studies. “Let’s just say he is the best husband, father and friend any woman would love to have as a partner,” Tenday said in a confident tone.

Her advice to women seeking to empower themselves, while juggling to balance a family, work and academics, is to first know exactly what it is you want out of life, plan how to achieve it and put the plan into action.

“Having a family must not restrict any woman from following their passion for increasing their academic knowledge. Education can make you grow mentally, emotionally and financially, give you confidence, build your self-esteem, also with the self-confidence of the children. It is one of the tools that can help a family to get out of poverty and change their socioeconomic status. Sometimes life’s circumstances can prevent us from accomplishing our academic goals, but it is never too late to achieve that dream of going back to school,” she remarked.