By Francine Black Staff ReporterFOR 17-YEAR-OLD Jermaine Nelson Wednesday was a day of relief and hope.
He graduated with a certificate in Food Preparation and House-keeping from the Learning for Earning Activity Programme Centre (LEAP), Duke Street, downtown Kingston.
Jermaine was one of several persons injured in July 2001 during a three-day stand-off bet-ween residents and members of the security forces in sections of west Kingston. Twenty-seven persons were shot and killed during the incident in which Jermaine's leg was shot off.
On Wednesday afternoon when he climbed the platform to receive his certificate, he seemed to have been transformed from dejection to pride.
"I feel all right, I feel relieved, I feel much better now," he said.
Last year in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner Jermaine was pessimistic about his prospects for the future.
Having been forced to take care of himself, as his mother was in the country and his father had left the household, the teenager was unsure about finishing school as there was no financial or moral support.
The former Tivoli High School student, however, received hope in the form of an artificial leg and a referral to the LEAP Centre where his fees were taken care of by Member of Parliament for West Kingston Edward Seaga and his wife, Carla, who took an interest in Jermaine.
His outlook on life appears to have taken on new meaning, as he also became a more spiritual person.
"It's just the powers of the Almighty," he said, explaining the reason for his achievements so far.
Jermaine said he intends to find a job and Mr. Seaga has promised that he will assist him to get into another programme to ensure he becomes self-sufficient and independent.
