Marcus Garvey Scholar Envisions Contributing to Jamaica’s Vision 2030 Strategic Goals

As a recipient of the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship, Danielle Black now envisions contributing to Jamaica’s Vision 2030 strategic goals by helping to ensure that wrongdoers are brought to justice—a professional path she never initially imagined for herself.

As a Case Receival Officer at the Institute of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine, under the Ministry of National Security and Peace, Ms. Black already plays a vital role in the forensic science process—supporting the documentation and analysis that help solve crimes and build prosecutorial cases.

However, Ms. Black believes that by pursuing a Master of Science in Forensic Science with a major in Molecular Biology at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona—made possible through the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship—she will be better equipped to contribute to a more efficient and evidence-driven judicial process.

“Well, my focus benefits Jamaica because Vision 2030 talks about curbing crime, and curbing crime is not only… physical, where the police go to do their work. You have the behind the scenes work, which is what I do, where we help to speed up the judicial processes [and] produce results so you can prosecute these offenders and get them off the streets. The quicker [the] turn around… really sends a message to [criminals] that, ‘Hey, you can’t outrun whatever it is that you have done’,” she tells JIS News.

Ms. Black, one of 23 public sector employees awarded the scholarship for 2025, notes that with her advanced degree and current role, she is positioned to help influence policies that strengthen and enhance the operational effectiveness of the police force.

The journey to her receiving the scholarship is one that was shaped by support from friends and faith in God that triumphed over self-doubt.

Ms. Black recalls first learning about the scholarship from a co-worker who previously benefitted from the programme. Knowing the opportunity was in its final year, her colleague urged her to apply.

She shares that the idea of the scholarship deeply resonated with her, as it aligned with her passion for service and her belief in giving back to country and community.

Ms. Black notes, however, that she encountered some difficulty during the application process.

“I started the application so many times. I believe I was probably one of those with the first entry, and I just stopped applying because I just felt defeated for some strange reason,” she recounts, reflecting on the quiet doubts that nearly kept her from pursuing the opportunity.

One day, a fellow applicant and friend confided in Ms. Black at work, expressing how overwhelmed she felt by the scholarship application process.

As Ms. Black offered words of encouragement, she was struck by a quiet realisation: she had distanced herself from the opportunity, convinced she had nothing of note to offer. That moment of reflection reignited her belief in her own potential.

This led her to delve deeper into the life and teachings of National Hero, the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey—the visionary leader after whom the scholarship is named—and the principles of self-reliance, nation-building, and service on which the scholarship programme is built.

“One of the quotes that he said that really resonated with me is, ‘If you have no confidence in yourself, you’re twice defeated’, and I was just like, ‘Wow, what an attack!’, because I did count myself out because of my self-doubt already,” Ms. Black shares.

Motivated by Mr. Garvey’s teachings and the encouragement of her peers, Ms. Black restarted her application—this time with renewed conviction, recognising the difference she could make in her capacity and the value of her contribution to national development.

She also encouraged herself along the way, reminding herself that ,“things will not come easily and you’re going to feel defeated along the way; but even if I’m not going to get the scholarship, don’t count myself out.”

This was only the first hurdle for Ms. Black. She soon encountered another when, after submitting her application… she was informed that it was incomplete—having submitted only one essay instead of the required three.

She was grateful, however, when she was granted additional time to complete the essays. With her friend’s support and renewed determination, the aspiring scientist wrote all three and successfully submitted her application.

Ms. Black soon advanced to the interview stage. Though nervous, she excelled—speaking about her work with such clarity and conviction that her passion illuminated the room.

The moment she learned she had been selected for the scholarship was unforgettable. It came as a simple text from her friend—just the eyes emoji—signalling that she should check her email. One word greeted her: “Congratulations.” In that instant, every doubt, delay, and difficulty gave way to joy.

“I know the God I serve, and once I saw the word ‘congratulations’, it could only mean something good. So, I was beyond… I don’t even know if there’s a word to encapsulate how I felt in that moment… but ‘grateful’ would really be the word to sum it up,” Ms. Black says.

“I never knew that I could be so lucky in life to be chosen for something like this… to have people that actually believe in my initiatives and believe in the things that I want to do that will impact the country and impact people,” she adds.

This latest chapter in Ms. Black’s life is a continuation of her enduring love for science—especially biology—and the almost magical dimension of her work.

Whether extracting DNA from a piece of fabric or lifting fingerprints from a surface, she describes the process with awe, likening it to a magician’s sleight of hand: precise, improbable, and deeply rewarding.

Explaining her choice of study, Ms. Black shares, “I really love the other possibilities that come with it.”

“Coming up with new methodologies and just being in your scientist era— you get to live out your childhood passions in real life. You can actually be the type of scientist that you used to watch or even read about,” she tells JIS News.

Established in 2020, the Marcus Garvey Public Sector Graduate Scholarship Programme is a strategic investment in Jamaica’s development. Designed to strengthen the public service, it empowers recipients to pursue postgraduate studies—locally and internationally—in critical fields aligned with national priorities.

To date, the Programme has benefited over 90 public sector employees, representing a strategic investment of $1 billion in Jamaica’s human capital and national development.

Though the initiative carries a five-year bonding agreement, Ms. Black is eager to return to work, following her study leave to pursue the 18-month programme.

For her, it’s not a condition—it’s a commitment. She looks forward to applying her advanced training in service of the public, strengthening the very systems she once admired from the outside.

“This scholarship is all about giving back to the country and building. If you’re about nation building, then you wouldn’t have a problem going back and really implementing what it is that you have learned,” Ms. Black maintains.