Immaculate dream

ON March 25, 2014 Shantal Strachan welcomed her daughter, Kaesha-Kae Daley, into the world with a dream already taking root: one day her child would attend her alma mater Immaculate Conception High School — the institution she credits with helping to shape the woman she is today.

Twelve years later, that dream became a reality when the results of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) assessment confirmed that Kaesha-Kae had earned a place at the prestigious all-girls’ school and would don its iconic white uniform when she transitions to higher learning in September.

The news sparked an emotional moment that was captured and shared to social media, and quickly went viral. On the grounds of Lannaman’s Preparatory School, mother and daughter broke down in tears as they embraced, overwhelmed with joy at the realisation of a dream they’d shared for years — continuing the Immaculate legacy.

Strachan told the Jamaica Observer that her seven-year journey at the institution began in 2003 and ended in 2010 when she completed sixth form. A little girl from the inner city, she said it was at Immaculate that she became polished; the school’s motto: “Ad astra per aspera”, translates “through difficulties to the stars”, encapsulating her journey through life.

“I love my school. People will always hear me talking about my school, and I just thought it was very fitting for my daughter, so from [she was] a very tender age I would be manifesting that she’ll be going to Immaculate…

“I want people to understand that I didn’t force the dream on her, per se, but I sold it to her, and I sold it to her properly. Over the years we have visited the campus, when there is a post on their
Instagram page I would show her the kind of activities that Immaculate would do, and so forth, and so she bought into the dream from very early.

Kaesha-Kae Daley (left) and her mother Shantal Strachan share a tearful embrace moments after it was confirmed that the 12-year-old would attend Immaculate Conception High School, her mother’s alma mater.

“She, too, knew that this is where she wanted to go, but along with having the faith, we also put in the work,” Strachan told the
Sunday Observer.

Kaesha-Kae, in confirming her mother’s statements, said she’d initially had her eyes on Wolmer’s High School for Girls, but found herself falling in love with Immaculate through their many campus visits and discussions. The 12-year-old said the driving force behind her decision was ultimately a desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

“To carry on that legacy, it kind of felt like I was going to be a mini her, which I hope to be someday because my mom’s very outgoing, loving, and funny, and to carry on that legacy, it just felt perfect,” she said.

Their years of preparation led to much anticipation and nervousness on PEP result day. Strachan said on the morning of June 22, she ironed her Immaculate shirt, packaged a customised blue and white cake and a cake topper bearing the school’s crest, and journeyed to Lannaman’s Preparatory.

She said she camped out in the parking lot for about two hours, entering the school’s gates just before midday, which was when the PEP results were made available to all schools.

A younger Shantal Strachan smiles brightly as she poses for a photo in her Immaculate Conception High School sixth-form uniform on the school’s campus.

While there awaiting the results, she said she got a call from her husband, who works at the Ministry of Education.

“When I answered the phone, as the line opened and before I could even say anything, he said, ‘Immaculate’, and that’s when I ran outside of the office, and then I started crying,” she told the
Sunday Observer.

The moment, captured on video by Strachan’s former classmates and friends, showed her overwhelmed with emotions. Moments later, Kaesha-Kae, who had just finished her graduation practice, was seen coming around a corner, seeking to confirm what her mother’s excitement meant.

“I heard everybody shouting, and I was like, ‘Is it Immaculate?’ And everybody was like, ‘Yeah,’ so I started crying because I was just happy. I was just happy to know that I’ve done it and it’s over,” said Kaesha-Kae.

As the two embraced, they cried, their tears bringing relief after years of preparation.

“My heart smiles every day I get up, since the results. Every day I get up, and I give thanks because to know that for years, from the moment she was born, I held this dream so close to my heart, and to see that the dream has finally been realised, it means the absolute most to me. I know that my daughter is a very brilliant girl, and I expect nothing but good things from her when she starts her journey at Immaculate,” said Strachan.

Number two pencils, gifted to Kaesha-Kae Daley by her mother, are engraved with the words “God is within her, she will not fail”.

As she reflected on their journey, Strachan said the road to success was not easy. She shared that their preparation for the exams started as early as grade four when Kaesha-Kae sat her first round of assessments. She said the grade four results revealed that her daughter had the potential, but would need a bit more work to attain the Immaculate dream.

Strachan said she immediately called on her network of educators, gathering mock examinations from various schools and PEP past papers with which her daughter could practise. She said she also enrolled her in Saturday classes at Kensington Primary to give her a taste of different learning and teaching styles.

It was a challenge Kaesha-Kae said she accepted wholeheartedly, despite having to balance school, her extracurricular activities, social life, and hobbies.

“It was good because a lot of children in my class, their parents aren’t really behind them like that. Most times, the classes that I used to be in, grade four, grade five, all my teachers would always say my mom is my biggest cheerleader. She was always behind me and always making sure that I do well, so I’m really glad that I have my mom like that, because she’s always going to be there when I need her. I’m just happy that I have a mom like her,” said Kaesha-Kae.

This support was evident on the day of the final grade-six assessment when Kaesha-Kae entered the exam room at Lannaman’s Preparatory School with customised pencils gifted by her mom, which were engraved with the words, “God is within her, she will not fail,” a popular Bible verse that proved itself true.