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Designer happy Ja students home from Ukraine
Friday, March 04, 2022
US-based dancehall fashion designer Jenelle Thompson says she is breathing a sigh of relief following the safe return of 20 Jamaican students who had escaped the war-ravaged Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.
The students, who had left Jamaica to take up scholarships in various disciplines, arrived at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, on Wednesday night.
“I just kept praying, night and day, that the Lord will find a way to get my brothers and sisters back home. When I reflect on the biblical story of the children of Israel saved from the wilderness, I became more convinced God was in the midst of these students’ tribulation,” she told the Jamaica Observer.
Located in eastern Europe, Ukraine was part of the Soviet bloc and got its independence on August 24, 1991. Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Thompson said the continuity of studies for the students should be of utmost priority.
“We do not know when Ukraine will ever regain stability. We must now look at what must be done to ensure their course of studies will continue. My recommendation to the Jamaican Government, in conjunction with some tertiary institutions, is try lowering the school fees so these students could be absorbed locally,” she said. “That would help to relieve some amount of stress for these student.”
Thompson is principal of A’ Legend clothing brand. Her clients include dancehall acts Vershon, Delly Ranks, and Macka Diamond.
She is part of the cast of the independent movie 3 to 11, which premiered at the Studio Movie Grill Theatre in Pennsylvania, on Saturday, February 5, 2022.
Directed and written by Linstead-born Skethia “Summer Angel” Richards, 3 to 11 other cast members include Tiaa Lamie, Byron Wilson, Dorinda Hampton, Tracy-Ann Douglas, and Keyshawn Stran.
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