Marsha is a Credit Union professional, she is the Officer in Charge of GUT Credit Union, Carriacou sub office.
I am Marsha Douglas originally from the parish of St. Andrew in Grenada. As the only child of a single mother, I was raised in an extended family as is the custom on the island. My family is filled with strong women who taught me from an early age that success comes, not by luck, but through hard work and discipline.
With this solid foundation coupled with their continual support, I have always set goals aimed at achieving my best and breaking my family’s cycle of scarcity. From an early age, I realized that education is the vital key to unlocking all of my goals.
I began my formal education at the St. Andrew’s Methodist school at the age of 5 and attended up to standard 5 in 1995. During that time, I learned that only my best is good enough. That lesson remained with me beyond the walls of that institution.
The next leg of my academic journey started September 1995 at the St. Joseph’s Convent St. George’s. During that period I was faced with the emotional and physical roller coaster of adolescence aimed mostly at ‘finding myself’, struggling to figure out my true purpose in life and why my best was never good enough to accomplish my goals for excellence. I fought hard to maintain a ‘C’ average while other students seemed to sail by with little or no effort. However, with the encouragement of my mom and the extended family mentioned earlier, I persevered eventually attaining 6 CXC passes. Still uncertain of my career goals, I ventured into the school’s commercial department to study Secretarial Science for one academic year.
I then gained employment with a new telecommunication firm. Although working full time, I continued my studies and started evening classes doing GCE accounts. I put in that extra effort because I was still convinced that education was the only key to open the door to the quality of life I wanted.
Subsequent to the passing of hurricane Ivan, I opted to resign from my job to pursue a Management Degree at the St. George’s University on a full- time basis. This decision was made much easier because I had the full support of my mother, who financed my further education by using her vacation pay and sue-sue earrings. The latter is a popular and very effective financial planning method utilized by Caribbean people.
While at university I realized that my old maxim, “only the best is good enough”, was not entirely accurate. I appreciated that, beyond the best, there was the possibility of an even greater accomplishment. I pushed beyond my comfort zone, reached for the stars and, after 4 years of grueling studies, graduated Cum Laude. Along that journey, I finally found that my passion was to give my all to assist others to attain their dreams regardless to how impossible it may appear. I, therefore, choose a career path would give me that opportunity. I now work in the financial sector and I am perfectly positioned to help individuals achieve their short and long-term goals through financial packages designed to offer the needed monetary backing.
My educational journey, the key to realizing my personal dreams, continues. I am currently pursuing studies in Credit Union Management and hope to one day attain a master’s degree in Leadership. I will never stop working to achieve more, to be a strong woman like my mom and a role model for young ones in my community.
