Jodi Cornish is a senior at the Stapledon School for the Mentally Challenged and because of the school he attends, most people would immediately put limitations on him and expect him to be capable of little.
Actually, Cornish's life has been filled with barriers. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which made learning challenging for him. His mother, Carmel Cornish said he is also "deaf" to certain pitches, but he refers to it as "selective" hearing. And he has a speech impediment.
But the 16-year-old is definitely more than meets the eye. And he is ready to "shake-off the shackles" that people use to hold him back, and prove that great things can happen to anyone no matter what cards they are dealt in life, as long as they get the attention they need.
Jodi in recent years has gotten the personalized attention that he needs and is finally excelling further than he had ever dreamed.
One of his most recent opportunities to shine came when he was awarded at the 10th annual thanksgiving and recognition ceremony for schools in the northwestern district award. Cornish was selected as the student of the year for the Stapledon School for the Mentally Challenged. He achieved an A grade in art in the recent Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) examinations. It was the first time a student at the school had ever taken and passed the exam and he did so with the best possible result.
"It felt good to get the award. I worked hard and it was fun. You have to believe in yourself. I knew I would do well. I love to draw. I feel great because of it," said Jodi.
But Jodi was not always this confident in himself or his abilities. In fact, in the past had he been asked what he wanted to do when he was older, he wouldn't have been confident enough to look that person in their eyes, much less try to form a sentence to answer them. He has come a long way from being the shy youth sitting at the back of the class in a daze, to the young man who has dreams of being a mechanic and living a normal, unhindered life.
And it all changed in the last two years. His mother got fed up with the lack of assistance her son was receiving at school in Abaco, and transferred him to the Stapledon School for the Mentally Challenged in New Providence, to get him into the right learning environment.
"It definitely was a big step for us to move to New Providence in order for Jodi to go to school in the right environment," said his mother. "I am glad we did because despite living for years in the United States and having access to special education classes in the public school, Jodi has not gotten as much help as he is getting right now. We moved back to The Bahamas seven years ago and I still kept trying to find him the help he needs. For years I had tried unsuccessfully to get my son in the only special school in Abaco, it was not only 40 miles away from us in Marsh Harbor, but the waiting list was too long and I got fed up. Jodi was frustrated, he wasn't really learning and wasn't too happy in the government school he was in, so I knew we had to do something."
Since the move she saw her son "skyrocket" intellectually, and his interest in school and extracurricular activities increased. Jodi not only attends classes at Stapledon School daily, but he also goes to Government High School three times a week to study art; the Centre for the Deaf once weekly to learn woodworking and design, and is tutored in reading and writing once a week outside of his normal classes. He is also getting assistance with his speech impediment.
The single mother said she is doing all she can to ensure that her son gets the help he needs, to learn and achieve the levels of success she knows he is capable of.
"It is almost overwhelming how he has gone from having so little help to being showered with it," she said.
She is even prouder of the fact that her son is just as interested in achieving as his teachers are in helping him.
And Jodi has goals that entail him excelling outside of the classroom. The teenager is also a sports fanatic and has played football and baseball. But basketball is his all-time favorite sport. The point guard spends many of his afternoons practicing and working out with other players. All the practices paid off for him as he was selected to the team that represented The Bahamas last year in Athens, Greece in the Special Olympics.
"I was really excited to go to Greece and play. It was fun and I got to go by myself. I hadn't been away for a long time, so it was nice. It was a long flight and long trip [three weeks] and I got to play a lot. We didn't win but I got to see a lot of stuff. I got to see two different hotels. I stayed in one and the other I visited. It was a good trip."
Moving forward, Jodi is thankful for all the help he has received from teachers who have gotten him to this point in his life. He said it took a lot to build his confidence to truly believe he could be anything he wanted to be. He now even dares to dream of one day attending the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute to study automechanics and body work.
"I did not always believe in myself. Before now I didn't like asking questions or saying I don't understand. My teachers didn't understand me and I didn't like to talk," said Jodi. "But I'm learning better now and I want to try everything I can. It will make things easier for me if I learn stuff. I really like school now. I like Math and doing division and multiplication. I'm good at it," he said.
Jodi's new-found confidence has him setting his sights on an even bigger accomplishment. He plans to take BJCs in Mathematics and English Language in June, as well as the Bahamas General Certificate in Secondary Education (BGCSE) in Art.
After his graduation in 2013 he hopes to also get his driver's license and own a car. He also aspires to fulfill his dream of one day of being a mechanic and maybe even owning his own company. Although many people may not believe in him he feels nothing is impossible if one tries.
He may not have gotten off to the best start, but he is confident that he will finish as strong as he can. He now believes that when one thing fails, he has the confidence to try something else.
"I can do anything. I like to see my mom proud. I like when people cheer for me. I will keep working hard so I do my best," said Jodi.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian