Jacquit
Jacquit comes from a small dusty town called Andilamena, known for its gemstones.
More unique than any precious rock, Jacquit is really something special. Reserved and softly spoken, he radiates a quiet confidence, and has a self-control, awareness and maturity far beyond his years.
One of his most impressive attributes is his seriousness and commitment to his education, which saw him complete high school despite many obstacles.
As a child, his father worked in a village far from home, so he would only see him in the weekends. When Jacquit was 14, his mother decided that she had to work as well, because they needed more money. She also found a job far away, and she could only come home once a month. Jacquit was responsible for taking care of his 6 brothers and sisters. For the first year he was too tired in the evenings to do his homework, and he failed to pass the first year of secondary school.
Where most people would give up, Jaqcuit made this a turning point in his life and decided to get up at 3:30am each morning, make coffee and study. After that his marks were consistently high. He concedes that there were many times that he wanted to give up, but he didn’t and finished high school with stunning results.
Although it was difficult time, he sees a silver lining: he learnt how to deal with problems and to work hard.
After high school, further study was out of reach, so Jacquit became worked as an assistant bricklayer. Later he was invited to one of Onja’s aptitude exam sessions, in which he performed very well and was invited into the program.
He considers Onja as a great opportunity for a better future. The only thing he regrets is that he can’t help his younger brother, who has to take care of his brothers and sisters for now, but he is looking forward to a good job and a good salary so that he can help out once again.
