Laurel Follows Family Love for Agriculture
In terms of career choice, the second time around was the charm for Laurel Charles who always wanted to pursue a career in agriculture but never anticipated becoming a Teacher. “I grew up with agriculture and developed a liking for it,” Laurel said, further explaining that during her childhood, her father was an avid Gardener, a hobby that he eventually developed into a small business. At age eighteen (18), Laurel, a former Loius Lynch and Combermere student, made the bold decision to fly to Trinidad and attend the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine for a three-year BSc. programme in Agricultural Science.
The Student Revolving Loan Fund (SRLF) was instrumental in making this experience possible for Laurel. Even then, in 1993, SRLF, which assists students in accessing the financial resources needed to further their studies and achieve their professional dreams, was the most viable option. “A loan from the Student Revolving Loan Fund seemed manageable,” Laurel recalled, adding, “I could take the loan and then repay it myself after I had finished my studies. This wasn’t possible with regular financial institutions.”
After graduating from St. Augustine in 1996, Laurel returned home and for several years she held a variety of positions including being a Farm Manager and working in an agricultural processing plant. Initially, Laurel found her pursuit of a career in agriculture to be challenging since it was largely a male dominated area. So, when her sister, who was a Teacher, suggested that she try teaching, Laurel gave in. She did not immediately fall in love with teaching and after a year she left the profession and found a job working in the perishable department of a supermarket.
Soon, though, Laurel started a family and she found that the work hours and weekend shifts were no longer convenient for her. Therefore, when an opportunity presented itself for her to teach at the Deighton Griffith Secondary School, Laurel quickly took it. The thirty-seven (37) year old mother of three has been teaching at Deighton Griffith for over ten (10) years and says that she does not regret the move to go into secondary school teaching. While the position is more people-oriented than she had anticipated, she enjoys getting to know her students and teaching them.
Regarding the loan repayment process, Laurel explained that while the interest rate and monthly payments were manageable, the repayment process could get frustrating. Therefore, she encourages beneficiaries of SRLF loans to start repaying their loans as soon as possible to reduce the length of the repayment process.