Ghetto Gem: Marlon Vickerman

The success of a man depends on his willingness to achieve the goals he has set for himself, this according to 24 year-old entrepreneur Marlon Vickerman who is determined to maximize on his potential.

Vickerman is the second of three boys and was raised in a single-parent home in the volatile community of Flankers, Montego Bay. Flankers gain notoriety for its violent gang related crimes and infighting with opposing sections of the community.

“It was never an option for us to get involved criminality” he remarked “while we did not have a lot of money, we had a good value structure within our household which made no room for us to be involve in anything illegal”. He prides his mother and grandmother who of a Christian background as the source of great support while he was growing up.

He remembered his mother’s pride when he was successful in his Common Entrance Examinations (now replaced with Grade Six Achievement Test) and earned at place Anchovy High School.

According to Vickerman “it would’ve been terrible disappointment to me if I had not pass those exams and placed in a high school as the thought of going to an All-Age School as a result of failure was not an apart of the plan”.

This drive to succeed continued in his high school years where he garnered eight Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) subjects and served a member of the prefect body for two consecutive years.

But his need to satisfy his passion towards higher education did stop at the high school level, Vickerman enrolled in the sixth form at Cornwall College where added four A’ levels to his resume of achievements and moved on to earn his Bachelors in Media and Communication at the University of the West Indies, Mona. He is currently employed at The Gleaner

The business savvy young man launched his own T-shirt clothing line called Ajani in 2008 which he hopes will enjoy a presence within the local fashion market.

“These days I live by one philosophy: it is better to try it and fail than to not try at all and wonder, what if I had tried” a confident Vickerman revealed in his interview. He noted that he was inspired by how FedEx was started and the success it has maintained throughout the years which he now uses as a motivational tool to push is clothing line concept to the next level.

When asked as to whether others living within the inner city community can do what he has done and continues to do, the young man issue a firm “yes it is possible. We don’t have to be victims of our surroundings or circumstances, but we can raise above what seeks to keep us down and be successful”.