Dr . Dunkley : I have always had a mind of my own and always loved to have my own identity and personality . In Jamaica , older siblings are usually in charge of you , and I did not want anyone to be in charge of me at school . I admired my sister , but I felt we already had that at home , and I just wanted to be my person , my own Karren Dunkley , and have my persona . Added to that , the two schools were rivals , and St Jago was always ahead of St Catherine in terms of academics and sports . I felt compelled to show up and represent St Catherine , and I did just that . I gave my all as a student at St Catherine .
Looking back , we were very resilient without knowing it was resilience . We had stick-to-itiveness , persistence , and a commitment to excellence without understanding what those words meant . We had a village . We went to church every Sunday . The structure was in place , and , irrespective of what people may think , institutions give a certain level of order and belonging . So , if done right , you usually end up with a high level of self-esteem . I remember once things got terrible for us , and my father was completely absent . Our journey to and from school would find us walking on a road that would flood whenever it rained . We had these pretty shoes that had cardboard in the bottom , and whenever it rained , we would get two plastic bags from the vendors at the gate , put our feet in the plastic bags , then put our socks on and walk home . Doing this prevented our feet from getting wet . No one knew our shoes had cardboard in the bottom .
Telling this story does not bother me or hold any negative feelings . Instead , I find it very humorous . At that time , there wasn ' t a high premium on material things like there is today . I cannot imagine that happening now , but it was fascinating and fun for us back then . Those experiences allowed me and my family to remain humble despite all the socalled success . There is a level of humility and care , and kindness because we remember what it was like for us . I believe that is why I am exceptionally kind to children and young people . We should not limit young people because of their present circumstances because they are not responsible for any of it .
My mission has always been to empower our children and youth emotionally , spiritually , socially and academically , and otherwise financially . They must see a higher vision for themselves than what is reflected in their present circumstance .
TBWM : You were named one of the seven best principals in the School District of Philadelphia . You also spoke about resilience and stick-to-itiveness , as well as other character traits that contributed to who you are today . Which trait do you believe out of all that you mentioned facilitated you becoming an outstanding leader ? Dr . Dunkley : I believe faith made me become an outstanding leader , not as in religion , but faith directly in God . I was destined for greatness . I believed in the dreams that my parents and grandparents held for us , maybe not articulated , but present , nonetheless . Education was important , and I listened to my parents when they told us that we could be anything we wanted .
I accepted the positive things people said about me . I never heard negative people . I recall being at Dunrobin Primary and experiencing a situation rooted in colorism which was racist . As Jamaicans , we like to sanitise uncomfortable truths to feel better . I had a teacher who would see " the browner " children as more worthy , so she invested in them . They were her class monitors . If there was a speech to deliver , this teacher chose those children , and her actions were representative of white supremacy . I remember another teacher who would at times ask , " what about that Dunkley girl ?' That teacher asking about me — remembering me — reaffirmed my value . She is the teacher my soul heard .
I truly believed in the adults that spoke positively over my life . No one gets to where they are by themselves .
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