DESPITE the adversities, challenges and hurdles, Nerissa Pearson graduated from the University of Guyana with a distinction in her Bacehlor’s Degree in Communication.
We previously featured Nerissa Pearson in her role as a radio broadcaster. Now, she shares her academic journey and the challenges she overcame to achieve her goal.

“First challenge I had was that in 2018 when I started, because I did a straight four-year degree, I was an only parent, as I prefer to be called, and my daughter at the time would have been about six years old. Hence she was now facing Primary School and that was the hardest one because at that stage, they desire your undivided attention. Many of the times, I wasn’t able to spend time with her. I was not the best parent that I think I could have been,“ Pearson told the Chronicle.

She added that, having a full-time Radio Announcer’s job at the National Communications Network (NCN) she was not given any time off but worked a shift where she could attend evening classes.

This, according to Nerissa, posed different challenges in that she did not have a vehicle at that time to easily travel to and from classes and pick up her daughter from school.
“At the same time, when I applied to the University of Guyana, I did not get a scholarship from the initial stage. I only got a scholarship in the final stage of my four-year-long period of study.

So, for the first two years, I was paying cash and if everyone knows the tuition fee at UG, that is serious money to find,” Pearson noted during her interview.
Throughout my studies, it was a challenge to balance work and studies and being a parent, all at the same time.

Perseverance
As a radio announcer, according to Pearson, your voice is the instrument that distinguishes you from all other individuals.
Nevertheless, Pearson noted that she came to the realisation that the voice wasn’t the thing that will cut it for her, because many young voices were being recognised.
“I had to find a way to set myself apart. I also thought about today or tomorrow, if I lose my voice, what is going to happen to me?“ Pearson said.

She also mentioned that education is key and that you need to keep pushing for it, thus setting an example for your child/children to follow your dream.
According to her, education is the stepping stone that will provide the opportunities to function at high-quality levels and at high-profile jobs, also placing you in positions of grandeur and influence where your great skill, if not perfected, couldn’t get you.

“University is challenging and tertiary education on the whole, and anyone that thinks is not, I think they underestimate the rigours of what you are exposed to because you are reading for documents that will set you apart. It is not going to be easy and as one of my favourite sayings goes…the pain, challenges, frustrations and moments of giving up that you will feel when you start the course, you have to understand that it will not last forever.

What will last forever, is that day when you cross the threshold to receive your certificate, your degree or masters,”, Pearson said.
Nerissa expresses gratitude to her mother, aunt and lecturers for great success and accomplishment.