Kingston, Jamaica (Jamaica Gleaner) – When news broke that Shadae Foster’s mother was pregnant more than three decades ago, it triggered worry and whispers in her Westmoreland community.
Residents did not have high expectations of her because her mother had a mental disability and feared that the same fate would have befallen her.
Foster did not expect much of herself either.
“My grandparents were told to do away with the pregnancy. Plus, they were poor – they didn’t have any money,” Foster told the audience of female students at the inaugural Conversations in Science Series on Tuesday.
It was hosted by the Scientific Research Council (SRC) and The Mico University College on Tuesday, International Day for Women and Girls in Science.
“As I got older and recognised what was happening with my mother, I observed how people treated me. When people discovered that I belonged to her – ‘the mad lady’ – they would look at me in amazement,” the 31-year-old said.
Foster entered grade five at Savanna-la-Mar Primary School but was not able to secure placement at the much-sought-after Manning’s School in the parish.
She started classes at Frome Technical, determined to achieve, and that’s what sparked her love for the sciences.
“No matter what I did, I kept going back to it,” she said.
The thought of tertiary studies seemed impossible, but in faith, she applied to universities locally and abroad.
Foster found ways to “live beyond her barriers” and today holds a PhD in biochemistry from The University of the West Indies.
She recalled that she struggled adjusting to life in Kingston and was intimidated by students from traditional high schools.
“I applied for a student loan, and I had some assistance to pay for hall fees for the first year, but I didn’t know how I was gonna pay for food or books, but I persisted. I was told that, ‘you’re doing the sciences! It’s hard! There is no way you can get straight As over there. Go to the next faculty because yours has the highest failure rate,” she recalled.
Foster was unfazed and she completed her first undergraduate year with As and a few Bs.
Come second year, she was hit with another bout of challenges and was encouraged to sit the year out.
By all means, she had to finish.
“I sold a number of things, including my computer, to get some money and I persisted. I was travelling back and forth to Westmoreland because I didn’t have much money, and so I would go there to get some of the farm produce,” Foster said, adding that it was a means of cutting her food bill.
Foster received a scholarship to cover her tuition and considers her final year her best – she got straight As and made the Dean’s List.
“I decided that if I really want to be the scientist that I plan on being, then I needed to level up,” she said.
The then-20-something-year-old moved on to pursue a master’s degree, then a PhD, and in 2018, she was named SRC Young Scientist of the Year.
Her thesis, which was rated as the most outstanding, explored compounds extracted from rice as a treatment for diabetes.
Foster is a research scientist at the SRC, undertaking research that will identify, evaluate, and validate medicinal plants.
She is currently working with the Maroons on cacoon, a plant prepared during their yearly celebrations. So far, it has been found to be high in protein.
She is grateful for her family, friends, and those she met along the way who stood by her side.
“Life cannot only continue despite pain and hardship, but it can take on new meaning and purpose,” she told the young ladies at the end of her presentation.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2VS8X2V
One Response
I am of the Maroons of Jamaica, from Portland . The Hebrews from the tribe of Judah. I would love to work with the SRC to go to Maroon town to study the plants down there. I have used food, nutrition prayer, fasting, herbs and natural remedies to cure myself and also my mother to recover from stroke, I want to help Jamaica use her resources to be self sufficient.
I want to be assigned some botanists, herbalists, prayer warriors, nutritionists, dietitians, pharmacists, doctors, lawyers to see how we can best use our knowledge to become self sufficient instead of using IMF loans.
Treatments for coronaviruses and all types of bacteria and viruses we can use locally and for export. I see Madagascar using Covid Organics we have the same semi contra (wormwood) down there and we can use herbs to heal successfully, some are below:
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-05-18-researchers-claim-100-percent-cure-rate-vs-covid-19-ecuador-intravenous-chlorine-dioxide.html
Jamaica needs to be testing all local anti-oxidant rich foods on corona virus patients: starting with natural ingredients: repentance, fasting, prayer, Biblical dietary laws, Sabbath rest (7th day). Then early morning sun, even sun. VItamin D. Zinc rich foods. VIt C rich foods. Healthy eating does not include food listed as unclean for human consumption in the Bible. Hot and cold therapy. Salt water gargle warm in the morning, evening for 7 days. Set up Clinical trials : Use the fever grass, orange, lemon peel, soursop leaves, semicontra, wormwood, wild sage, mosquito bush, wild Basil, wandering JEw, God Bush: Scorn-the-Earth; Mistletoe, aloes aka sinkle Bible, (tuna), cinnamon, pimento, cloves, onion, rum, garlic, garlic skin or “trash”, ginger, honey, sour orange, lemon, limes, cinnamon, tumeric, sarsaparilla, peppermint, cayenne, and peppers, all different types of clinical trials should be going on down there right now. Now is the time to study coconut, tamarind, papaya, mango leaves, and other parts of the trees. ” Alcohol and disinfectant use”: bleach trials, food grade hydrogen peroxide, iodine, alcohol of the various types. The University of the West Indies and all schools down there should know all the barks, plants, trees, roots in Jamaica and their uses and use that to cure coronavirus and stop waiting on “foreign vaccine” . We grew up only going to hospital when some body part was broken that we couldn’t fix or mostly for serious accidents. When did we come to start joining lines for cereal, bread, and foreign food? What happened to our local healthy foods, such as breadfruit, yam, dasheen, coco, cassava, our own fruits and vegetables? Whatever happened to the yard fowls that we raised and the goats, cows, etc? Told y’all years ago tourism is not anything to base an economy on. If you can’t hear now you can feel. We have so many herbs in Jamaica to use to cure Covid 19 and all natural, cheap growing wild. When did we come to rely on “pills and vaccines” so much, instead of the Most High and what He gave us naturally? Remember “salts and senna”? “mojo herb and linseed?” Half of these things we need to find out what they are we hear them all the time growing up! The list of herbs, and resources are endless for treating Covid 19 , malaria, chick V, ZiKa, you see the world getting worse and you are relying on your enemies to create the problems and the solutions and give you debt, and steal our countries to go with it? We need to file a criminal complaint against all the parties involved in patenting , unleashing, and profiting from bio weapons in the ICC and also withdraw from the UN, WHO, etc GOSSYPIUM SPP. Cotton; White Cotton Bush.A number of Gossypsium species occur in Jamaica and it is probable that all are similarly employed.The leaves are used to make a decoction for colds. In the days of Browne and Lunan, an emulsion of the seedswas similarly employed, while it was also thought to be of use for dysentery. An infusion of the leaves was usedfor diarrhoea and as an application for insect bites. The oil was stated to remove spots and freckles and theleaves steeped in vinegar were applied for headaches. Cotton root bark is said to be used in Africa as anemmenagogue and abortifacient. It has a weak ergot-like action. A leaf infusion is used for dysentery. The rootbark is said to contain resin and a small amount of essential oil and vitamin E. Among other compounds theaerial parts contain the following compounds:- some essential oil containing furfurol. quercetin. betaine,choline, phytosterine, various terpenes; formic, acetic. succinic. salicylic. palmitic. butyric, valerianic andcapronic acids. The seeds contain a toxic subtance gossypol (C;wH2SOs)’ (3. 5, 10, IS. 27).HIBISCUS ELATUS Sw. Blue or Mountain Mahoe; Cuba Bark.Early writers comment on the mucilaginous nature of the young parts and mention its use for dysentery.Beckwith identifies mahoe as H tiJiaceus L. and says that boiled with Cissus sicyoides it is used for colds. (2,8).HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA L. (Red, French or Indian) Sorrel: African Mallow.Sorrel is used in Jamaica to make a drink which is reputed to be cooling and diuretic. It is a sweeteneddecoction of the fleshy calyces and the ovary without the seeds and may be flavoured with ginger and wine orrum added. The calyces are said to be antiscorbutic. They contain various pigments including gossypetin(C15H28O8) an anthocyanin (C20H19010Cl) and a glycoside hibiscin. The roots are said to be laxative, containtartaric acid and may also contain a saponin. In some parts of A… please email me at lorrainehunter@yahoo.com or 404-502-6948