Jessica, Compliance Professional

What did you want to be when you grew up?

In my heart I’ve always been a creative - but the dream of being a painter/actress got shut down very quickly in my single parent home with 3 siblings. I knew I was jointly financially responsible for my family as soon as I was old enough to get an NI number! Trevor Noah refers to this as “the black tax” - This left me torn between my head and my heart. 
 
So this question used to give me a lot of anxiety….I knew speaking my truth was not the answer my loved ones wanted to hear. Art wouldn’t pay the bills. They wanted to hear; “I want to be a doctor, lawyer, banker etc.” Whatever it was, they expected me to know the exact profession and be very sure about my decision – obviously it should pay well! 

I had no answers and the question and expectations started to make me feel like there was something wrong with me for not knowing. 
 
What I did know is that I wanted to exceed the very low expectations of my primary and secondary school teachers (who actively tried to hinder my education) and prove to them I was intelligent enough to work and take up space in places they didn’t think I could! (Ie the corporate world) 
 
I also knew I wanted to make my family proud and give them financial freedom. Meaning I needed a well-paid career and stability. 

 
So I chose a degree in LLB Law and now work in an LNG company as a Compliance analyst a profession i didn’t even know existed when I was 18. 

 
Thankfully this enables me to take care of myself, my family and peruse my artistic growth.   

What do you want most in the future? 

Security and legacy - to give creatively and to allow my life and talents to add value to my family, community and society as a whole.

What’s been your biggest achievement to date? 

I’m growing into myself - becoming more me. I love the person I’m becoming. I feel more comfortable and confident in myself. 

I’m proud of the self-development work I’ve done, and I am unapologetically moving up with self-love and care at my centre #softlife 
 
It’s been a journey. I had to do a lot of introspection and learn to trust myself/ my gut / my intuition.

What’s your advice to other women/girls? 

For my Black girls:

Work on yourself, know yourself 

Break the mould 

Take up space 

Do not allow yourself to be boxed in by stereotypes, labels, gender or any other restrictions on your being - only you have the power to define yourself and what you want to be. You don’t have to let others define you.  

Understand your self-worth/ your value and where you add value to yourself and others and what you have to offer the world.

What does it mean being a black woman in your industry?

Often being the only black woman at the table

Not seeing yourself represented in senior management

Working twice as hard to receive half as much 

Being past over for promotions 

Being silenced 

Having to hold your tongue 

Leading a double life 

Misogynoir  

What school did you go to?  

Convent catholic all girls schools 
(It was a good school just very white)

What is the most important thing in the world to you? 

Integrity 
Honour 
Respect 
Peace 
Family, love, food, dancing and big belly laughing 

“I need to see my own beauty and to continue to be reminded that I am enough, that I am worthy of love without effort, that I am beautiful, that the texture of my hair and that the shape of my curves, the size of my lips, the color of my skin, and the feelings that I have are all worthy and okay." 

 
- Tracee Ellis Ross