One subject to three degrees: Charmaine Foster’s journey of triumph

For some, life begins on a smooth road, paved with privilege and predictability. For others like Charmaine Foster, life begins in a storm – but she chose to rise above it.

In 2000, Foster started working as the secretary for the Admissions Department at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and, from there, she worked her way up. In 2011, she became the administrative assistant for the Department of Communication Studies, a position she still holds today. Foster is also a part-time lecturer for the College of Business and Management and the Distant Education Centre at NCU where she continues to shape the lives of her students by inspiring and sharing her knowledge of business communication.

Though Foster holds those positions and titles, her journey had its fair share of potholes.

Born into poverty and surrounded by instability, her childhood was anything but easy.

“It was seven of us, six girls and one boy … there was one bed for the girls … we slept head and toe … . I didn’t complain, I was satisfied with what my parents could afford,” she said.

Growing up in the small rural district of Tollgate in Clarendon, Foster knew what it was to go without. Her home and school life was fraught with limited resources.

“I had to rotate uniforms [with my sister] ... she also had a shoe but the shoe had a hole in the bottom and you would never know because I would cut out cardboard and put it over it and pray that it doesn’t rain,” she said.

School itself wasn’t where she shined, not at first. While other students boasted trophies and academic awards, Foster was just trying to keep up.

“I remember I had to transition from primary school to all-age because I didn’t get to do the Common Entrance exam. So I went to all-age school and did the exam that afforded me to go to Vere Technical High School … . I left high school with only one subject,” she said.

Years later, despite it all, she clung to a dream to get an education and use it to change her life.

“I applied to university. I wanted to go to university because my two sisters, Yolanda and Phillippa, were going and, even though I wasn’t qualified, I still pushed and got accepted to do the one-year clerical, which was better than nothing,” she said.

Having started the one year-clerical, Foster received encouragement from her lecturers to get more subjects done.

“My teachers, Mrs McKoy-Hanson and Ms Edel Plummer, encouraged and pushed me to get more subjects. I ended up with five subjects,” she said.

PURSUING DEGREES

With more subjects came greater opportunities. Foster was able to step up from studying the one-year clerical to pursuing an associate degree, then her bachelor’s.

Foster’s university life was no easy feat. Her father, the late Dudley Dixon, was her main support. Her mother was a dressmaker. However, despite the financial constraints, she didn’t stop at her bachelor’s. She pursued a master’s degree, but why continue?

“My siblings; the last three, myself and my other two sisters [ Phillipa and Yolanda], of us were the only ones to go to university of the seven of us, and I felt good that I was able to start university and I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, especially students,” she said.

Her graduate years were filled with challenges, but she was always praying and pushing herself to do better. She graduated in 2008 with her master’s in business administration, something she knew all too well.

Now, with that master’s degree under her belt and her name etched on multiple certificates, Foster is preparing to graduate yet again in August 2025 – this time with a postgraduate diploma in education (PGD).

Why go back?

“I never thought of going back to school, but my co-worker, Toni McLean, started the application to do the PGD and, when she mentioned it to me, she encouraged me. I decided to try and, if I got through, I got through,” she said.

Today, Foster is not just a graduate, she is a symbol of resilience. A woman who once faced the world with empty pockets and tear-stained cheeks now stands as a role model, shaping future minds as a trained educator.

Her life might have started in hardship but her legacy will be one of hope.

When asked what keeps her going, Foster ’s answer is simple.

“God, my husband, and my son.”

Akeem F. Orrett is a final-year communication studies major at Northern Caribbean University, specialising in journalism. Email feedback to editorial@gleanerjm.com