From concrete floors to hope: The unbreakable spirit of Shanaique Wilson

BEFORE SHE ever touched the controls of a machine at Red Stripe, 31-year-old Shanaique Wilson had already mastered the art of survival. Born in Naggo Head, Portmore, her life changed at age eight when her mother migrated. Shanaique and her siblings were sent to live with extended family in the country, where love and protection were in short supply. What should have been a safe space turned into a place of restriction and emotional harm.

“We weren’t allowed to touch anything our mother sent,” she remembers. “She sent a keyboard when I was in grade four — music was something I loved. They locked it away. They lent it out, taught themselves on it, yet I wasn’t allowed near it. I used to cry quietly. It felt like the little piece of her I had was stolen.”

Among a household of silent punishments, only her grandfather showed warmth. “He was the only one who made me feel seen. He didn’t have much. However, his kindness saved me most days.” When she turned 17, her time was up, she was told to leave. She turned to her father in Marine Park, hoping for stability. His then girlfriend resented her. “She made me feel like I didn’t belong. Eventually, I was told to leave again.”

FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH THE BEDS

Homeless and alone, Wilson began sleeping on the floor of a cousin’s house, forbidden to touch the beds. “I curled up there every night with hunger in my belly and prayers in my throat.” She had already experienced emotional and sexual abuse throughout much of her childhood. Even then, she clung to one thing: faith.

“I should’ve broken down a long time ago. I always believed God was with me. Even when no one else was.”

At 18, she got her first job at a funeral home in Portmore, earning $2,000 per week, only after a funeral was held. “It wasn’t much. Still, it gave me something to hold on to. I was surrounded by death every day. Still, I was alive. That meant I had a chance.” Still scraping by, Wilson decided to rent a small room in Independence City, not knowing how she’d afford it. “It was crazy. I had no money. However, I couldn’t stay where I was.”

For days, she survived on nothing except water. Desperate for a better life, she began researching security jobs. She found Guardsman Group and made the trip to their office — broke, starving, and terrified. “I couldn’t pay my bus fare. I was shaking. Still, I approached the security guard and asked for help. He saw something in me. He made a call and I got an interview.” She got the job. And, for the first time, she had steady work.

WINDOW OF STABILITY

“That moment changed everything. I had structure. I had a little pride.” With that small window of stability, she enrolled at the Caribbean Maritime Institute, pursuing certification in mechanical engineering.

“I was working full-time and, some nights, I didn’t sleep. However, I knew where I wanted to go.” A friend at Guardsman saw her dedication and recommended her for a job at Red Stripe. She got it.

“This is God,” she says simply. “I didn’t get this far on my own.”

Today, Wilson is a plant operator at Red Stripe, thriving in a role that brings her pride, purpose, and security. In 2025 when the D&G Foundation planned its Labour Day project in Marine Park, it was Wilson who helped coordinate.

“That’s my home. I’ve lived the struggle there. I wanted people to feel like someone cared.”

She believes deeply in her community’s potential. “People here are good. They just need guidance. They need to know someone is willing to help.” She speaks proudly about the community WhatsApp group that allows neighbours to share problems, offer help, and build trust. Her relationship with her father is complicated. After his partner left and his bills piled up, she moved back in — not out of obligation, rather by choice.

I FORGIVE

“I don’t forget what happened. However, I forgive. God didn’t bring me through all of that to become bitter. That’s not who I want to be.”

She speaks with admiration and emotion about her older sister, who helped raise her and later migrated to build her own life. “She carried so much on her shoulders. Watching her make something of herself, I cried. That’s the kind of strength I want to pass on.” Now, Wilson is considering pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences, not only to improve her life, but to help others navigate the systems that once failed her.

“There’s a girl out there right now sleeping on a concrete floor, wondering if she matters. I want her to know that she does. She can rise.”

Shanaique Wilson has emerged from a life that tried to bury her. She has turned pain into purpose and hardship into hope.

“I want to be a voice of hope. I want to be living proof that, no matter how far gone things feel, you can make it.”