"It's never anyone's intentions or aspirations to live in an orphanage," Grant said. "But after a while you just have to accept it. That's basically what I did and I tried to make the best of it. Instead of
having a negative attitude ... I tried to capitalise on every opportunity
I could possibly get."
PEWAUKEE - LEROY Grant never knew his parents, spending most of his life in Jamaican orphanages.
Davean Millwood's mother died when he was seven. He spent the next several years shuffling from one abusive guardian to the next.
A stranger brought Millwood into protective custody. Eventually he moved to Sunbeam Orphanage in Spring Village, Jamaica, where he met Grant.
"Basically, I never had any thought or ideas of coming to America or anything like that," Grant said. "It was never a dream or goal of mine. ... But Patsy came back and she basically gave me an offer if I thought of attending school in America. And I thought that it would be a cool idea or something that would broaden my horizons.
"So I took her up on her offer."
Through the generosity of Patsy Cordes and a love of learning, Grant and Millwood have matured from burdened orphans to prosperous students at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).
"I would say these two were probably two of the most determined to attend school every day and the most studious," said Cordes, director of the child care programme at WCTC. "I tried to implant the attitude that you can have goals and dreams and that there are ways to achieve them."
For Grant, life at the orphanage was all he knew.
He said he spent most of his life living in a large room with boys his own age.
"It's never anyone's intentions or aspirations to live in an orphanage," Grant said. "But after a while you just have to accept it. That's basically what I did and I tried to make the best of it. Instead of having a negative attitude ... I tried to capitalise on every opportunity I could possibly get."
ABUSED
Millwood lived with his mother until she died from cancer when he was seven.
He moved in with his aunt after his mother's death, but his aunt beat him, he said, and he ran away. Later he moved in with his mother's friend. But the problems with her were the same.
Cordes first visited Sunbeam while on a mission trip with her church. Cordes said that in Jamaica, 5,000 children live in orphanages, with as many living on the streets.
Cordes said marriage is a non-priority in Jamaica and many women have children at a very young age. When the women are incapable of raising them, she said, they either give them away or put the children out on the streets.
"When people think of Jamaica, they think of the tourists and the beach resorts," Cordes said. "But there is another side of it. There is an extreme amount of homeless children."
Cordes decided to take over as director of the Sunbeam Orphanage in 1997.
"Their philosophy in these orphanages was when the child turns 18 they're out the door," Cordes said. "But they haven't necessarily gotten the skills to be self-sufficient ... I couldn't see just self-sustaining someone for the first 18 years of their life and then saying goodbye and putting them back out there on the street."
After leaving the orphanage in 2002, Cordes returned in 2004.
She came back to bring home two of the most studious children from the orphanage to provide them with more educational opportunities.
She said she was impressed with Grant and Millwood because they could lead in a testosterone-filled boys home without using their fists.
They came back with her that summer.
Grant, 21, said he felt prepared for America because some friends had told him about how it would be.
But still, Grant said there were some things he couldn't have anticipated. He said people in Jamaica often earn their names by their physical attributes.
"You can't be too upfront with some of your answers," Grant said. "Self image here, it's a major deal if you're fat, small, medium or whatever. At times people in Jamaica earn their name because of their physical attributes. But here you can't do that because of the political incorrectness.
"I actually got myself into trouble one time because of that."
Millwood, 22, said he was afraid of American food at first. He didn't want to become "chubby," like he was when he was little, he said.
Millwood also said it took time to be accustomed to spend the majority of days indoors.
And while they are still adjusting to American culture and Wisconsin weather, Grant and Millwood are doing well in school.
Millwood is studying graphic design. Grant is studying architectural drafting and was recently named a WCTC student ambassador. He also served on the student government association.
Cordes said at times her two boys still struggle to believe they can be successful.
"At finals time they get really worried about doing well," Cordes said. "Even though their grades are there, they still worry about being successful."
Millwood said he wants go back and forth between here and Jamaica. Grant said he wants to be an architect wherever he's needed.
"One of the things that attracted me to architecture is that you can literally have an impact on someone's life," Grant said. "So for me, it doesn't matter where. It's not a money-driven decision for me. Anywhere I can be a great impact to others, that's where I'm at."
This story was first published in The Freeman newspaper on Tuesday, February 14.
