WHO IS DAVINIA DAVI JAMES?
I�m a fulltime activist that believes I can and will change the world. I was born and raised in the beautiful island of Jamaica until I was 18 years old. Growing up, I was fortunate to experience a life where I saw life through the eyes of the opulent and another, where I saw life through the eyes of the poor with their violent surroundings adding to their distress. My mother was a teenage mom who struggled with caring for my two older brothers and me. In addition, having a partial high school education didn�t make life easy for her. At 3 months old I became very ill and my mom seeking help led me to the steps of a community activist/village mother. This compassionate soul and her husband took the liberty of taking care of me. Since that night, I didn�t go back to live with my mom until over a decade later.
Shortly after I entered my new home, my mom moved to one of Jamaica�s largest cities in search of work. Her plan was to find a good job that would allow her to better care for her children. She often returned on weekends to visit my brothers and me; a trip that was very convenient, considering my brothers lived directly across the street from me with our grandmother. My mom instilled the importance of education, and Mrs. Morrison (community activist) and her husband ensured I got the basic core of one. I never felt out of place and there was no short change in their love for me. No limitations were set on what I could or could not too. I was taught only my best is good enough. I was provided with a platform to excel and I embraced every opportunity.
I was a top scholar who loved her books and enjoyed going to school. I was living a life I thought every child lived. A life filled with love, joy, opportunity, safety and happiness. The life I lived at the time was all I knew until the death of Mrs. Morrison forced me to go live with my mom.
Life with my mom was new and very different. I was surrounded by turmoil in this new city and the community wasn�t pleasant. It was during that time I became face to face with poverty and violence. It was during that time I realized there was a different kind of life out there, other than the sheltering one I lived for 11 years. I�ve been caught up in cross fires and the only thing my mom and I could do was lie flat on our bellies. I�ve been held up at gunpoint with one of my oldest brother and for sure I was convinced this was the end for us. I have also witnessed the murder of my friend Johnny, another unsolved crime with very little option of justice prevailing. Our community would occasionally erupt in violence. Sometimes there wouldn�t be any casualties but at other times, you would hear the beckoning cries of victims asking for help or the cries of family members in mourning. This new life had become my reality and I knew that the only way out would be my education.
In the early years of my high school studies, my mom moved to the US leaving me in the care of my aunts. Living without the actual presence of my mom was challenging and I had to grow up very quickly. I had to learn to balance every day life and school. The news of my mom having breast cancer affected my emotional wellbeing and my studies but I knew I had to find my inner strength and persevere. I became the first one out of my family to graduate high school. My mom was proud. Years upon years after being a part I was reunited with my mom and her she was able to see her dream of me attending college.
The life we lived was unpredictable and out of nowhere I was pitched a curve ball. After spending two years with my mom, breast cancer claimed her life. I felt cheated. I was mad with the world and I felt like a rug had been pulled from under my feet. I thought life for me was over. Little did I know this was all a part of a dive plan. My life challenges reminded me of my strength. Not only that, my mom handpicked my earthly parents to guide and cheer me on through life. Those two combinations allowed me to experience one of my biggest accomplishments yet. I became the first one out of my family to graduate college. My mom�s dream was not �my� reality
My earthly parents are two the biggest blessing in my life. Their love for me has unlocked the kind of love I didn�t know existed within me. I�m not the product of one experience or one person. Different experiences and different earth angels are the reason why I am who I am today: a woman on a journey in changing the world in her own way. My life story was and is necessary for who I�ve become and more of who I�m evolving more into.
WHAT WERE THE challenges YOU faced while building YOURself?
Challenges I�ve faced while building myself is that people try to tell me what I should be doing and who I should be. I know being �me� is �my� super power and that�s what sets me a part in this world. Hence, I concentrate on being the greatest version of me with each passing day. I decided a long time ago not to be chained to people opinions because they will always have them. I hear what they are saying but that doesn�t mean I�m listening, unless it�s constructive. I�m always open to constructive criticism.
What can you say could have destroyed your dreams if you had engaged in it?
What could have destroyed my dreams is not being brave enough to listen to what�s in my heart. I strongly believe that our heart speaks to us but we have to be quiet to hear it. It�s imperative to also take the time out to listen to it and then being courageous to act on it. My dream of changing the world was a whisper in my heart that only I could hear. No matter what I couldn�t ignore it. It just wouldn�t shut up. I decided to pay attention despite the worry about what the world would think of it. Through this experience my passion collided with my purpose.
Only you can give birth to your dreams but having the right ones in your life will be beneficial to a great deal. My dreams could�ve been destroyed if my earthly parents didn�t stepped into my life the moment that they did. They play a huge part in me being my own person and following my dreams. Along with being my confidants, cheerleaders, teachers by example, they are my rocket launching pad. Interested in knowing why I know I can do anything? It�s them!!!
What are your personal values or principles?
It is very important that I stick by who I am. Therefore, I work on not straying away from my teachings. A lot of my teachings are things that were instilled within me as a child and as I became more in tune with me into my adult life. These are my morals and values that are the core of my character. My morals and values are what kept me in check in a world that challenges who I am and more of who I want to be. Reality is its not easy especially for us girls. To add to this, I�m a firm believer that my words are my currency in this world. Therefore, I say what I�m going to do and stick by it. Often times, your words are all you have to give and others are depending on you keeping those words. Believe it or not, your words will reflect who you truly are.
I�m never afraid to embrace who I am, including all my flaws. It�s a sense of vulnerability that�s I�m okay sharing and extruding to the world. Not until then are you truly able to tap into another level of the greatness that �you� possess. I let my heart guide me. I don�t work for applause instead I work for a cause that will deeply touch others. My life isn�t purely about me but how to help make this world better than the one I was born in. Being honest in all aspect of your life is crucial and I treat others the same way I want to be treated.
Tell us more about the impact you are making in your community as a young leader
The impact I�m making through the world as a leader is that I�m helping to grant education to girls in developing countries that are not in schools. Currently there are 62 millions of girls not in schools and the reasons behind this staggering statistics are heart wrenching. Hence, I have become the change. I use pennies to send girls to school. Why pennies? People are skeptical about donating which I totally understand. Also, pennies aren�t valued and it is sad to say but this is how girls are viewed worldwide. I have come up with the concept of collecting pennies from anyone that will donate them and I count and package every cent, which I then give to Girl Rising. Through Girl Rising I�m able to send a girl to school for the entire school year for only $50. So far over 700,000 pennies have been collected and over 128 girls have been sent to school. Girls from countries such as Peru, India, Haiti, Cambodia, Afghanistan Sierre Leone, etc. Being passionate about this dream of mine has brought the opportunity to get pennies from as far as Johannesburg Africa. This was possible because someone saw Hugh Evans� Tedtalk that included me. He thought I depicted the definition of a global citizen.
My penny project for girls� education allows me to show the world that one doesn�t need to be rich in their pockets. All one need to do is be rich within their heart. Furthermore, bringing about change can come from anyone who finds something that they care very deeply about and refuse to sit/stand aside and watch things not change for the better. I make it my point of duty to speak to the next generation, hoping to empower, enlighten, inspire and encourage them in creating change in �their own way.�
What is your favorite color, food and craziest thing you've ever done?
Since I�ve known colors, my favorite color has been yellow. My favorite food varies because I like different things. My favorite Jamaican dish would be french fry chicken, vegetables and festivals. Currently, I�m all for Italian food. What can I say; I�m a lover for comfort food.
The craziest thing I�ve done? Well that�s hard seeing I AM A CRAZY WOMAN WHO IS
CONVINCED SHE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD (laughs). I�m a lover for adventure and the top two adventurous things I�ve done so far that I think says crazy is going to the airport, closed my eyes, picked a place and go without any questions. I went on a one-week trip with myself, exploring the Grand Canyon and Arizona and it was one of the most liberating trips of my life. The other thing has now become a hobby and that�s jumping out of planes. Yes call me a skydiver. I love the feeling of an adrenal rush. Wait how can I forget, over the past few years I have developed a fear of snakes. It was really bad where I couldn�t even watch them on TV or look at them in a book. I felt that I needed to take back my life and I got the courage to hold a giant yellow python. I�m not 100% comfortable with snakes but now I can face them without freaking out.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
In the next 5 years I see myself still shattering more glass ceilings, testing more limits and bringing down the statistics of girls not in schools throughout the world. I will not stop until all girls are given the basic human right of an education. Girls are valuable! Girls are worthy! Girls are change and a girl with courage is a revolution! Education does equal freedom and allow others to transform their lives. I recently got engaged to my best friend and within the next 5 years I see �my person� and I traveling the world together while changing lives. There�s an urge within me to travel the world but not to travel to say I�ve been there. I want to travel and connect with others bringing them opportunities that will sustain them in having a better life generation after generation. I�m sure a child or 28 of them (laughs) will be on this journey with us. We will be a family of Global Citizens.
What is your view about young people of today?
The next generation is capable of so much. They are living in a world where so much information is easily accessibly. Also, they are directly in contact with tools that are quite effective in bringing about change. I hope they will decide to look beyond their screens and make their own impactful mark on the world. The next generation is filled with so much great ideas and their reasoning ability is wise beyond their actual age. At times when I converse with them I�m in awe. They are filled with so much hope and I know they will bring a lot of positive change in the years to come. Their capabilities should never be underestimated because I�ve seen throughout my years as a pass pre schoolteacher, that they possess greatness and great change is over the horizon.
What word of advice do you have for young people today?
We live in a world that likes to tell us, especially us girls who we should be. I say be rebellious and tell society �THIS IS WHO I AM AND I�M NOT SORRY THAT I DON�T FIT YOUR MOLD� No two people in this world is the same and that is okay. Being your own person is a blessing so young people be all that you are no matter whom you make uncomfortable. The ones for you won�t mind and those who mind are those who won�t matter. A lot of the times we get so caught up being who someone else want us to be, that we whittler way. If you do this, then there�s no more you and you merely become a puppet. Quit trying to fit in. Once you are confident in who you are and what you stand for, go ahead and start speaking up for not only yourself but for others. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be forgiving to yourself and others. Be that ray of light because you never know whose dark life you are brightening up. Lastly, live a life of purpose. Find something you are passionate about and commit to it. The day you do this is the day you will realize you will never have to work another day in your life. All that I share are my experiences and I�m telling you, you are all some sweet, powerful souls. Don�t get sidetracked!!!
Thank you.
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