5 Questions with Isheba Cornwall

The Energy Queen - Isheba Cornwall radiates positivity and authenticity in everything she does. As a twenty-year-old who has and currently holds several leadership positions, she prioritizes providing other young Jamaicans with the wonderful opportunities she has been given. She motivates and empowers them to be the best versions of themselves.

At age fifteen, Isheba started her leadership journey as a Junior Broadcaster. Following that, her passion for helping young people find their voice and speak out on issues affecting them grew. Aligning with her role as a social advocate for youth empowerment, she is a host, social media ambassador, entrepreneur, and a second-year student studying Integrated Marketing Communication.

She gave birth to the social enterprise, Empower Youth Tees, where she produces apparel with empowering messages in Jamaican patois to inspire Jamaican youth such as “Weh Bad Mind a Guh” and “Corona Cyah Stop Mi Shine.” Isheba’s mission is to use Digital Technology to bring about transformational change in society through social marketing. She remains a stellar trailblazer in society as she selflessly volunteers with many organizations.

Like Isheba, you too can make your mark. After reading her answers to the five questions we were privileged to ask, we hope her positive energy and authenticity will empower you to be the best version of yourself.

1. Tell us about your educational and leadership journey?

My leadership journey really started after being enrolled at Excelsior High School. From being voted class monitor in first form to getting the opportunity to represent my class as a Students’ Councillor, my love for leadership, advocacy, and simply helping young people was realized. In third form, I was voted as my class’s Students’ Council Representative. As I matriculated to grade 10 and 11, I got the opportunity to serve as Vice President and Acting President, respectively. I then became the Region 1 (Kingston and St. Andrew) Public Relations Officer for the National Secondary Students’ Council. It is through the NSSC that I started to understand and appreciate the importance of youth voices and how necessary it is to have a seat at the table and comfortably speak on matters affecting us.

In the same year, I was chosen by the school’s administration to serve as the Head Girl (2019-2020). I successfully passed my CAPE exams and matriculated to The University of the West Indies, where I am now in my second year pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication. In my first year, I jumped right into leadership positions serving on several sub-committees for the Guild: Commuters Public Relations and Publication Committee and the Faculty of Humanities and Education’s Publications Committee. The truth is when I got to UWI, my passion for helping young people didn’t change. However, the way in which I wanted to do it did.

As a Communication major, I realize how powerful digital technology like social media is in bringing about change, empowering, and inspiring people. That is what I wanted to do, so I used my personal platform (Instagram specifically) to do just that. By engaging, educating, telling my story, and sharing opportunities, I want to inspire young people ultimately to step out of their comfort zones and to unleash their full potential.

Dubbed the ‘Energy Queen,’ I am also an event host, and I use this to facilitate and engage young people in important and impactful conversations. As one of the radio hosts for the Talk Up Yout Radio Show, I do this by having conversations with stakeholders (for example lĺmembers of the Jamaican government) to see how best young Jamaicans can co-create solutions to the problems we continue to face.

2. What would you say is most fulfilling about being a leader?

I will be honest, I do not see myself, in the traditional sense, as a leader. I consider myself a facilitator – someone who makes the process a little easier for young people to learn, grow, and take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way. So, what is most fulfilling about this? Definitely getting a text from someone saying that the content I create has pushed them to apply for a scholarship, which they were successful for, or someone saying they aced a course using tips from my social media page. Being able to genuinely impact young people from all across Jamaica positively warms my heart.

3. What keeps you motivated as a leader?

This is an easy one - simply my passion. As a ‘facilitator,’ the thought of me being able to aid in building young people, contributing to their growth in this way motivates me. I get my drive from seeing young people I’ve interacted with do and achieve amazing things. One thing I’m very strict on when helping people is highlighting that after they MUST take the opportunity to share the knowledge with someone else and help others as they climb their way to success.

4. How do you create a balance between your personal life, work-life, and being an entrepreneur, youth advocate, and all the other roles you assume today?

One word - prioritizing. I won’t say I’ve mastered this 100%; however, I am working towards it and what I do to help me is to do the things I do in order of priority. Suppose I have an assignment for school due tomorrow, and there is an order to be fulfilled for my business in three days. In that case, I will always prioritize the most recent thing, and that’s what works for me.

However, one big disclaimer is that this strategy may not work for you, so you need to find one compatible with your lifestyle.

5. What advice can you give to other young people who would like to assume leadership roles?

Be yourself, be authentic, all the time, every time. If you want to venture into leadership, ensure you are doing that for the right reason and that you are passionate about it. A leader is someone interested in genuinely serving others. A good leader works to ensure the people they are serving are motivated to work towards the common goal. One of the most important things to understand, too, is that there are certain skills that you will need to possess as a leader. You must be emotionally intelligent, have excellent communication skills, problem-solving skills, and be one of integrity and humility.

Connect with Isheba here!