Parade Gardens resident charts her own path with Project STAR support

KINGSTON, Jamaica — At 25, Amanda Hendricks is building a life that once seemed difficult to imagine. Today, she has a steady job, a supportive team around her and a renewed determination to pursue her education and career goals. But beyond the pay cheque, employment has given her something equally valuable: confidence.

Before becoming involved with Project STAR, the Parade Gardens resident described herself as withdrawn and uncomfortable around people. She often isolated herself and found it difficult to open up or socialise. Taking the first step towards employment was therefore about much more than finding a job; it meant confronting fears and pushing herself beyond the boundaries she had created around her life.

Project STAR, which works to support social and economic transformation in underserved communities, became an important part of that journey. Through the programme’s job-placement support, Hendricks was encouraged to apply for opportunities and attend interviews. Her Project STAR contact continued to encourage her even when she was reluctant to take the next step.

“I told him I wasn’t going anywhere, but he said I should go and then get back to him and tell him how it went,” a Project STAR press release quoted Hendricks as saying. The encouragement eventually led her to an interview for a security position with the Shipping Association of Jamaica. The experience did not go as she had expected.

She left the interview before it was completed and immediately contacted her Project STAR contact to explain what had happened. Yet, rather than allowing the experience to discourage her, the Project STAR team continued to support her. About a week later, Hendricks received the news that she had been hired.

That opportunity marked the beginning of a significant period of growth. Hendricks initially found the transition into the workplace challenging. She had to adjust to interacting with new people, navigating a new environment and managing the anxiety that came with stepping outside her comfort zone.