Teen seeks help to pursue her dreams

For 19-year-old Natala Wallace, the road to her dreams has been interrupted by unimaginable pain.

Within a matter of months, the Windsor Forest, East Portland teen lost her mother, abandoned her sixth-form studies, and later found herself fighting for her own life after a medical emergency that required two surgeries.

Now, getting what she describes as a “second chance”, Wallace is determined to return to school and complete the journey she started — a journey she believes her late mother would want her to finish.

Before tragedy struck, Wallace was living every parent’s dream. She had just graduated from high school as valedictorian, while her younger brother had earned the title of top boy at their school. Her proudest achievement, however, was securing nine subjects — a milestone she dedicated to her mother.

“My mom had me when she was 17 years old, so she always told me if that, if I passed my subjects, I would be doing it for her,” Wallace said.

She said earning nine CSEC subjects was a way of making her mother proud. But, just weeks after celebrating her daughter’s success, Wallace’s mother became seriously ill.

The teenager explained that her mother appeared healthy after graduation but began experiencing breathing difficulties by the end of July. Despite undergoing several tests, doctors were unable to detect the stage-four cancer that was later revealed during an autopsy after her death on September 17, 2023.

Her mother’s passing came at the very moment Wallace was preparing to begin lower sixth form. Instead of entering a new chapter of her education, she found herself trapped in grief.

“I wanted to make her proud but I just lost it. She was buried in October and, after that, I just completely stopped going to school and have been fighting to survive.”

For nearly three years, Wallace said, she operated in survival mode. She took on various jobs, including working at stores, a call centre and two pharmacies. She also used her skills as a lash technician to earn money while trying to rebuild her life.

During that time, she applied for admission at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. But, just as she began looking towards university, another crisis struck.

A sudden illness left her hospitalised at the Port Antonio Hospital for two weeks and brought back painful memories of losing her mother. The experience forced her to confront a painful reality — she had spent years simply trying to make it through each day, but she still had dreams left unfinished.

“Truth be told, in the hospital I was in a life-and-death situation. I was like ‘I can die young and not get to fulfill my promise to my mom’, and I have just been in survival mode for the last three years. So I was like, no man, I want to finish school. God gave me a second chance to start over and finish what I came here to do,” she said softly.

That renewed determination has pushed her back towards the classroom.

Wallace has been accepted to the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) to pursue a degree in business and is expected to begin classes on August 31.

However, financial challenges remain her biggest obstacle.

She was initially accepted to the university in 2024 but had to defer her admission because she could not afford the costs. Her father and aunt have helped with the enrollment fee and have pledged additional support, but she is seeking scholarship assistance to make her dream a reality.

“I want a scholarship to help me out a little,” she said. “I am hoping to find scholarship opportunities that can provide some assistance and help ease the cost of pursuing my education.”

She told THE STAR that she has considered a student loan but fears the overbearing cost.

Still recovering from surgery, Wallace has been unable to fully return to work or personally deliver all the assistance requests she has prepared.

Despite everything she has endured, she remains determined to make herself proud.

“My mom will be proud, too, and I have a second chance to try again,” she added.