Photo Caption: Jennifer Martin, JN Foundation board member presents Xiomara Gordon, the 2024 JN Foundation PEP Scholar for Kingston, with her certificate during the JN Foundation scholarship award ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston recently.

Despite women remaining underrepresented in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and engineering specifically where they occupy less than 20 per cent of engineering-related positions worldwide (according to the Society of Women Engineers), Xiomara Gordon, the 2024 JN Foundation Primary Exit Profile (PEP) scholarship recipient for Kingston, is determined to make her mark in the field.

Inspired by her love of problem-solving and innate curiosity sparked by online videos, Xiomara believes a career in engineering is the perfect match for her talents. It has been an area of interest for the Vaz Preparatory alumna since age six. She is now a first former at Campion College in St Andrew.

“I’ve been watching videos about engineering, and it looks like such an exciting and creative field. I love figuring out how things work too, so I feel like this career would be a perfect fit for me,” she said.

Although she has not yet decided on a specific engineering discipline, she is already charting a path forward, with plans to pursue her studies in Germany. She began laying the groundwork for her engineering journey as early as 2021, when she purchased the book, The 50 Greatest Engineers by Paul Virr and William Potter.

Looking ahead, she plans to join her new school’s engineering club and continue excelling academically, ensuring she meets the requirements for admission into top engineering programmes.

Xiomara has already built an impressive academic record. After sitting her PEP exams at Vaz Prep earlier this year, she received awards for Most Outstanding Performance in Mathematics and Language Arts and awards for Outstanding Performance in Science and Ability.

Campion College was her dream school and in addition to passing for the institution of her first choice, her PEP grades earned her one of the five-year JN Foundation scholarships, for which she simply said she is grateful to receive. She was among 37 scholarship recipients recognised for their PEP achievements at the JN Foundation PEP Scholarship awards reception held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston recently.

“The PEP exams were ok, they weren’t hard,” she said adding that, “I really wanted a scholarship and I’m thankful that I got the JN scholarship.”

Besides her interest in engineering, Xiomara likes tennis. She is also an active member of the Crochet and Key Clubs at Campion.

Her mother, Kerrian Johnson, who works in property management and administration, said she is proud of her daughter’s work ethic, independent nature and drive for success.

“She has high standards, and her teachers will tell you, if she gets 98 per cent she cries. Xio has always been a focused child and continues to be that way throughout school. I am her biggest cheerleader and supporter,” she said.

Describing her daughter as creative and bubbly, especially around family, Ms Johnson shared how she enjoys watching Xiomara explain complex concepts and break down difficult principles for her peers. She added that her daughter also has a passion for building with Legos.

With a background in marketing and public relations, Ms Johnson said she fully supports her daughter’s ambitions and is excited to see her make waves and break barriers in STEM.

“I want Xio to know that she can go and be anything she wants to be, whether it’s in Germany or anywhere else. When she was little, she always said she wouldn’t leave me, but I tell her all the time to go and explore the world, understanding that wherever I am is home,” Ms Johnson noted as she expressed gratitude to the JN Foundation for providing Xiomara with a scholarship.

“I was happy to get the news, and I really wanted this. It will certainly assist with her educational expenses,” Ms Johnson said.