Ronald’s Road: A Journey Towards Success

Library Science may be in the cards?

Starring in several daily newspapers is our very own Ronald Charles of the Technical Services Department. Congratulations to Ronald, valued employee, friend, devoted father who has remained focused to overcome obstacles and challenges. Charles has recently been showcased in an advertisement by the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS) as one of its successful students.

Ronald Charles, born January 19, 1990 in Trinidad and Tobago, also known as “Don” where he grew up at his hometown of El Dorado became inspired by his mother Wilhelmina McDowell Benjamin; a hardworking, valued and well-respected former librarian. She was instrumental in the designing of Trinidad and Tobago’s Trinity Cross award which was the country’s first highest National Award distributed at T&T’s first Independence National Award Ceremony held in 1969. The Trinity Cross award remained as such until it was replaced by the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) award in 2008.

Following in her footsteps Ronald joined the NALIS family on September 27, 2007 as a Library Attendant at its Heritage Library.

Subsequently, Ronald was appointed to the position of Control Room Operator in 2011, at the same time he started his Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business via the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS) part-time in 2013.

He later applied for and was appointed to the position of Stores Attendant in 2015 in the Technical Services Department. He completed his (BTEC) Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business graduating with merit in 2016 and then immediately started pursuing his Bachelor of Arts (BA) Business Management from the University of Sunderland via the SBCS part-time, graduating with Upper Second Class Honors in 2018.

When asked what inspired him to pursue and attain his BTEC (HND) in Business, and a BA in Business Management, he replied “even though things were hard financially and it was a bit difficult managing work, school and a family life, I did it so I would be able to provide a better life for my son Israel; he is my inspiration along with my mom.” He thanks his mother, family, friends and his fellow coworkers at NALIS for morally supporting him through his journey. Ronald currently has his sights set on attaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Management or a Masters in Library and Information Science.

He also expressed his interests in the fields of Human Resource Management and Marketing but is yet to decide. He said that it is his joy to work at NALIS commenting that his coworkers treat him like family. He hopes to grow within the organisation. Ronald also has a passion for music and writing which he discovered in 2008 at a church camp held by his church St Mary’s Anglican. At church he enjoys writing and directing plays, and he also writes poems as a hobby. Ronald is currently in the process of writing his own book titled “How does preserving the natural history of Trinidad and Tobago market tourism” which illustrates historical facts about and landmarks in Trinidad and Tobago, their importance and how they may be used to generate revenue within the tourism industry. He was inspired by his love for his country, its history and nature.

Ronald advises that to anyone following their dreams to “Be prepared to make sacrifices to achieve your goals, if there’s a will there’s a way. Find it”.

Source: www.nalis.gov.tt – NALIS Newsletters Issue 17, Page 9
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