Tears of joy
Published:Tuesday | July 6, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Robert Lalah, Assistant Editor - Features
Less than a week after the story of Tiffany Biggs, a 20-year-old resident of Tivoli Gardens, west Kingston, appeared in The Gleaner, her life has taken a turn for the better.
Since last Tuesday, readers have been responding to the youngster's request in huge numbers, and what was initially a sad situation has come to a happy end.
Tiffany is a former head girl of Camperdown High School where she achieved nine Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate passes - three with distinctions - and four Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination passes.
She's the pride of her family and friends who live in Tivoli Gardens, a community whose fame is centred on cultural and sporting achievements but whose infamy is rooted in gang violence.
However, the star graduate had been unable to land a job since leaving high school two years ago.
She was convinced it was her Tivoli address that was standing in the way of her getting a job, but refused to lie about where she lived, even though other less-qualified folk from the community have done so with success.
Well, Tiffany's story caught the attention of readers from all over, particularly a manager at the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) in Kingston. Moved by her fruitless job hunt, he got in touch with the aspiring translator, arranged a meeting, and offered her a summer job which will take her to the end of August.
The central bank manager, who has opted not to be named, said that if Tiffany performs well, there will be a BOJ job waiting for her for many summers to come and, eventually, full-time employment.
Tiffany was overcome with emotion after her interview at the bank. Near tears, the young woman said she had never before experienced so much love from complete strangers.
"I don't know what to say. I'm so overwhelmed with everything that has happened. I'm just so thankful for being given a chance. This means more to me than anyone can ever even imagine.
"It brings me to tears just to think about it. I've never experienced this kind of love in my life. I just thank God for them," she said.