I grew up in St. Andrew, Jamaica in an impoverished neighbourhood. I was fortunate to attend some of the best schools my country has to offer, while simultaneously being surrounded by people who did not have that opportunity. In many ways, this has shaped the foundation of why I pursue engineering and the impact I would like to see it have on the world.

In 2005, I attended the London International Youth Science Forum. I was one of several students representing Jamaica from my high school. I would like to be honest here and say, this was not due to any academic achievement. More over, it was luck and being in the right place, attending the "right" school. It was here that I first got a taste of the European way of life, something I had only seen on TV. The greatest impact it had on me however was the chance to interact with people from around the world, and bond over a true love of science and technology. To speak with professors and scientists in their field, who told of us of the opportunities available to us if we attended university and pursued our passions.

At 19, I left home and moved to the United Kingdom to pursue my bachelor degree at the University of Portsmouth in southern England. For a Jamaican, pursing university on this side of the globe was somewhat unusual as the United States is closer in proximity, and in cultural likeness to home. However, one of the most important reasons for this choice, and a reason that you will find is an ongoing theme in my life, is Universal Health Care.

Portsmouth also gave me my first taste of a truly international community and the love of languages I have developed over the years (not that I've gotten better at speaking any of them). Like many Caribbean people of my age, I am the first person in my family to attend university, a fact that I am often reminded of when I visit home and see that this opportunity is still out of reach for far too many Jamaicans.

For me, engineering is about many things. Above all, it is finding solutions to the problems that make life so difficult for many people. Problems that mean social mobility is just a fancy phrase used by the wealthy few, but not something tangible to the many.