Maria Mohammed grew up on Picton Road, Laventille with her mother and four sisters, and dreams of being an electrical engineer.
This soft-spoken young woman, who is now 19, recently gained seven CXC passes after studying at Russell Latapy Secondary School, and plans to take two more subjects, Physics and Chemistry, in order to make the path to her dream a reality.
But dreams aren't enough–education costs money–so the determined and focused Mohammed is also working at a regular job this year, as a waitress at the Hyatt hotel, to help earn some of her own schooling costs.
In a community sometimes stigmatised for its waves of gang crime, Mohammed demonstrates that there's an entirely different side to life in Laventille, and that there are youths who do not fall into the easy stereotypes which outsiders–and even the media–sometimes perpetuate.
"Laventille has many good things about it but some people only see the bad side," said Mohammed.
Mohammed is willing to sacrifice for a better future, and she has a clear sense of where she wants to go. She knows it will not happen overnight, and that a lot of hard work is required. "The key is patience," she said.
Making it all possible, she said, is the love and support of her single mother, as well as the close relationship Mohammed has shared with her four sisters all her life. She has three older sisters, who are 28, 24 and 21 years old, and a younger sister who's 16. That special sisterly bond was the family glue that kept her cheerful and grounded–even when times were rough.
"My mom is a geriatric nurse. She loves to cook–she has about 11 chef certificates! She has been a single parent for 16 years. My mom inspired me the most. I wanted to make her proud so I pushed myself to the limit, so she would be proud of me," said Mohammed in an interview with the T&T Guardian.
"Yes, we went through some tough, hard times. ...But I work hard so that I know we went through those hard times for a reason," she said.
Living on a budget
Money, for example, was always tight when the girls were growing up.
Her mother would work night shifts and double shifts to earn extra funds. When her mother was working, her elder sisters Jacquie-Roy and Joanna would be caregivers, watching out for the younger ones.
In the early days, Maria remembered the family would get help from the church–the Salvation Army–which would donate groceries and food. "Sunday lunch long-time was every third Saturday in the month," she remembered.
"But now we don't have to ask for anything like long-time....All my bigger sisters are working now," she said proudly.
"Don't let any big distraction sway you," is Maria's advice to youth. "Life has many obstacles and gaps...I started working at 13 in a store after school. I bought my own books and bags for school. I always had a job. I worked at a job almost every day from Form One to Form Three. It was just in Form Four that I eased up on the job to focus on studies for CXC." As a result, she knows the value of a dollar, and has learned to budget.
The lure of bad company
Apart from money, another challenge was the lifestyle and temptations of her own peers, some of whom grew up fast.
"These days, you have to stay away from bad company, even in school. Your mind has to be strong. Everybody wants a boyfriend, wants relationships; but I used to keep it cool and normal, I would watch and play basketball and whatever but I wouldn't get involved with anyone. After graduation, that's when I started dating," she said.
Because of the occasional crime in the neighbourhood, the Mohammed sisters learned early not to dawdle outside: they stuck to their home, unless they were going to school or to specific extracurricular activities.
"If you know what you're about, there is nothing to worry about," said Maria.
She emphasized that there is a lot of good community life in Laventille � "Everybody knows everybody else, and there are helpful neighbours," she said.
Another challenge was having the space � and focus - to study. Like many teenagers, Maria often found it hard to study at home, with too many distractions including TV, radio, typically loud talking and little privacy. So she began studying in school. At home, she decided to study late at night, after everyone went to sleep. She would also carry books into the pan yard and study during breaks.
"Maths and sciences are my favourite subjects," said Maria; "English is my worst subject."
She's grateful to many of her teachers at Russell Latapy Secondary School, including Mr Henry, who she said always pushed his students learn; Miss Woodsley the science teacher - "She used to pray with me and help me feel lighter, more confident, at peace" - and Mr Pierre the art teacher, who had a knack for cheering up students.
"My school was good. The teachers pushed you and gave you individual attention. It doesn't matter what school you go to, it is up to the children to make the most of the opportunity," believes Maria.
Time for play, too
Life was not all one big sacrifice, however. Far from it. Despite their modest circumstances, the Mohammed sisters enjoyed a healthy social life. They attended fun sports camps; they played netball; they learned to folk dance and competed in lively, colourful SanFest and Best Village dance contests. They were also keen cadets, learning how to march. Maria even found time to play pan from as early as primary school. She continued learning pan into her secondary school years, eventually playing with Carib Tokyo after school, and loving every minute of it.
"We never had any spare time. The house used to be empty all the time!" exclaimed Maria.
Pan was � and still is � special to her. She learned the cello pan, then moved to sixth bass at age 13 when she started playing with Carib Tokyo. "Pan is about the excitement, the enjoyment, not about the money," she said. "I play Stateside," she explained � she represents the Carib Tokyo band when it plays for various social functions.
"Learning pan notes expands your memory," she said.
Even when she was studying, she would still make the time to practice some pan every day � though she admitted that she did cut down closer to exams.
"I still play pan. It eases your mind. I dance for Carnival. I take part in Panorama," she said.
Taking some alone time
What advice does Maria Mohammed have for other young people who might be facing various challenges?
She was quietly pragmatic, saying young people should learn how to budget money and how to manage their time well. She also said she found it very helpful, when things sometimes got difficult or overwhelming, to take some alone time, where you just try to be peaceful, and focus yourself.
"Since I was in Form One, all I really want is for my family to be happy, for positive vibes," said Maria.
She and her sisters gave their mother a special surprise this past Christmas: to show their love and thanks for all her support, now that they are all working, they all contributed to give her a new stove.
"She got very 'cry-ee'...." said Maria shyly; the gift brought tears of joy to their mother's eyes.