From 1.2 GPA to cum laude graduate: Roshelle Pinnock’s academic turnaround

Four years ago, Roshelle Pinnock was crumbling under the pressure of balancing the demands of work and school, and found herself facing a daunting 1.2 GPA. Today, in a stunning turnaround, that same student has graduated cum laude and is preparing to take a place in a graduate programme in the United Kingdom. The remarkable achievement is through the radio producer’s grit and hard work, which included her tuning into her lectures while on air.

“I mean, to be graduating now as cum laude with a 3.5 GPA is such an improvement for me,” the 26-year-old told Observer Online, noting that “Most people would have, you know, kind of called it quits.” Pinnock began her educational journey in 2021. She was determined to get a college degree, fuelled by the example set by her family. “Everybody in my family went to NCU (Northern Caribbean University) and everybody graduated,” she explained.

So she began her degree in Communication with an emphasis on Television at NCU in Manchester. In 2022, she secured an internship at Nationwide News Network, however the reality of reading for a degree while working a 9 to 5 soon caught up with her. “I was frustrated and just sad,” Pinnock said.

She added that she was hit hard by “the reality of coming to university and realising that you're not being spoon-fed.” Pinnock continued, “Like you're just out there by yourself, and you have to figure all of this out, and at the same time, I'm working. So I was just like, I don't really have the time; I don't think these lecturers are understanding, [I’m] juggling everything at once.” By 2022, Pinnock says, she was exhausted trying to balance school and work, and was ready to quit. “In 2022 is when I had that brief difficulty where I was just failing almost every class so bad,” she recounted.

“I was about to drop out.” She said encouraging words from her academic advisor motivated her to not give up her studies. “She was like, ‘no, I see you have a real talent for this. Thoughts of her family also fired Pinnock up.

“Everybody in my family has a degree and up to a master's level, I'm the only one who was left. And I was just like, ‘ain't no way I'm going out like this,’” she said with a laugh. With her advisor's support, Pinnock explained, she had to teach herself strict time management even if it meant tuning in to lectures while on live radio.