view for me . After the interview , I was quite confident that I would get a job at the airline , so confident in fact that I turned down an offer for a six month temp job . I informed them I was getting a job at American Airlines , which was pre-emptive of me , but that is who I am . I prayed even harder and waited and waited for that call from American Airlines .
One day I took a bus out to the airport , went up to the waving gallery ( that was a platform from which family and friends would wave goodbye to loved ones as they were boarding their flights – it ’ s no longer there ) and I prayed and said “ Lord , I thank you for this job , I am going to get this job ”. I went back home but still no call came . The following day I went next door , borrowed my neighbour ’ s phone and called the person at American Airlines who had interviewed me . When we connected , I explained who I was , and she said with much urgency “ Diana Morgan , we have been trying to find you . You need to come to the airport now to collect your package ”. I was speechless and overjoyed .
This was a Thursday and I needed to travel on the coming Sunday to attend training in the US . I had a passport but no U . S . visa . I explained this , and a letter was prepared for me to take to the US Embassy . I immediately called my friend Jerry for a ride to the airport , and then to the Embassy . At that time , the Embassy closed at 11am , and if you didn ’ t get there by that time , you would have to return the next day . When we eventually got to the embassy it was about 1pm , so of course I was late . The only section that was open was for applicants for permanent US citizenship . I proceeded confidently to that section with the letter from American Airlines and my passport in hand . I walked up the stairs and explained my dilemma to the security guard , who informed me that I should not be in that section . Luckily there was an Embassy employee who saw our exchange and she told him to allow me through . I walked over to her and she asked me why I was in that section . I explained , she took the letter and my passport , and gave me the famous “ blue slip ” to indicate that I would be issued a visitor ’ s visa . She told me to pick up my passport and visa the next day - Friday . I was totally happy and in shock , and certainly amazed at how , through faith , I had gotten to this point .
LIFE at JMMB – The Gift of Trust and Freedom
Because of my longstanding friendship with Donna Duncan , when JMMB started back in 1992 , though I was still employed to American Airlines , I would often go to the office in Downtown Kingston to help the team with the balancing of the day ’ s work . I still remember the evening ( while still working at American Airlines , yet providing support to the JMMB team ) that the late Joan Duncan called me into her office and asked “ Diana , do you want to come and work with us ?” At the time , the question was quite funny to me , because I had no training or experience in the financial sector and I was perfectly happy working at American Airlines . I eventually accepted the offer and became officially employed to JMMB in 1994 . Fast forward to today , and I am Group Talent Management and Cultural Development Consultant , a sought-after coach for Executive leaders and other team members at JMMB . Who could have imagined …
Early life at JMMB was a challenging , fun , and an amazing experience . We were in the start-up phase , which was a huge and difficult undertaking , with quite a steep learning curve . We triumphed despite the obvious challenges , because I believe we all shared Mrs Duncan ’ s vision and passion .
To back track a little , I lived for some time with a lady who I took on as my godmother . That relationship made a huge difference in my life . She worked at the Attorney General ’ s office downtown and had gotten a job for me as a courier , transporting documents for signing and delivery between the various Law offices and the Stamp Office . Years later , Donna Duncan and I were invited to give a motivational speech to a group of lawyers from the Attorney General ’ s office . The moment I saw my name printed on the agenda my mind went back to the fact that I used to be a non-clerical employee at this organization , and now here I am making a presentation to them - in my capacity as a business leader and subject matter expert .
36 The Beyond Woman Magazine