G
rowing up in St. Lucia, Whitney
Henry, dreamed of becoming a
teacher. So, on schooldays she'd
assume the role of a little teacher erasing the
chalkboard, prepping the class for the day and even
helping her peers with their schoolwork.
As a young adult, Whitney landed a temporary
teaching gig at her alma mater Secondary
School — the St. Josephs Convent.
A few months later, she landed another teaching job,
this time full-time at my alma mater — the Micoud
Secondary School (had to throw this in there. Go
Compton! :), fulfilling her childhood dream.
But destiny seemed to have had other plans for adult
Whitney. Plans that involved trading blackboards
and white chalk for beakers and white coats; and
from testing her students for a grade to researching
and testing cells to find a cure for cancer. Today,
Whitney Henry is a scientist making her mark in the
scientific community. My very poignant and candid
interview with the highly-spirited and humble Dr.
Whitney Henry.
So Whitney I had the pleasure of meeting you at
the Palm Beach Scholarship Dinner. Your speech
to these college bound kids was so inspiring and
the work that you do is so significant and
impressive that I thought Manmay LaKay
everywhere should know this research scientist
who grew up in Vieux-Fort
-- her journey, struggles and successes and how
she got here defeating many odds. Thank you for
agreeing to share more of your story.
"Thank you for your interest, I'm truly humbled.
"I am the 5th of 11 children. My biological
parents came from very humble
circumstances. My mom was a live-in maid
who worked for the Burt family when I was
born. They grew to love me as their own,
eventually adopting me from a very early
age."
Today, you're a scientist. As a child we'd
always get asked, 'what do you wanna be
when you grow up'. And you'd always say?
"A teacher."
Tell us a little bit about your background growing
up in St.Lucia?
And the follow up question would be,
"why?"
"My primary school teachers were among my
first role models. They were respected by the
community and held in high regards by my
parents who entrusted me to their care.