By Tyrone Reid, staff reporter
RAMON ARSCOTT, 22, the 2005 recipient of the Rhodes Scholarship, is a modest medicine man. Simply put, the youth is down to earth.
Truth be told, he is not your average scholar and he refuses to be labelled a bookworm. Arscott, president of the Medical Students' Association, is a 'sports billy' who goes to Church on Sunday, used to attend 'Passa Passa' on Wednesdays and has enough time left over to beat his medical books to a pulp. He plays the piano, played high school football at every level (Pepsi, Colts and Manning Cup) and also competed in the 800 metre finals of the 1996 boy's championship. In addition to kicking a football, Ramon can also fly kick, as he practised karate and was the all-island gold medallist in kata in 1992.
Achievements
His attended Mona Preparatory and Campion High School and he is now a final year medical student at the University of the West Indies (UWI). The story of young Arscott's life, is not a tale of rags to riches; he graduated high school with 14 subjects (9 CXCs and 4 A' Levels). He currently resides in Cherry Gardens, St. Andrew with his parents, who are both doctors. His father, Guyan is one of the island's top plastic surgeons and his mother, Suzanne, is a family physician.
He was born in Jamaica, but left the island when he was just a year old for Aberdeen, Scotland, where his father completed his medical studies.
However, the young man has a love for the inner city and thinks that plans need to be put in place to bridge the social gap that exists in Jamaica and which divides the rich from the poor.
"I realise that a lot of people uptown the fortunate ones are really not in touch with what's happening downtown and they probably don't understand as much what they are going through as well as those downtown may not understand the struggles that uptown people went through to reach where they are," reasoned Mr. Arscott, as he fiddled with his fingers.
"And, until each one can understand the other and start working together to lift everybody we will still have a problem," he added, still fidgeting his fingers, which he later explained was an attempt to ease his nervousness.
His first real encounter with the inner city and its inhabitants came during the summer of 1997. After applying to the faculty of medical science at UWI at age 17, he was accepted but not immediately.
The reason for this is still not clear in Arscott's mind. "I don't know what their selection criteria is or what are the parameters they use, but after applying they told me that they had given me an advanced placement with a deferral of a year," he said.
Divine intervention
However, the deferral turned out to be divine intervention, as Arscott went and worked with the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC), where he taught for a year in Rae Town. His class comprised persons who had not finished their education, some of whom were older than he was. It was then that Arscott's outlook on life was altered.
"That's when I realised what struggles and obstacles people less fortunate have to go through on a daily basis. That year was an eye opener. But, it was good. It made me more conscious and publicly aware of the gap between downtown and uptown and the dire need for us to bridge that gap," he said. While being named the 2005 Rhodes Scholar is Arscott's greatest achievement, his stint with the KRC remains his greatest experience.
Professional calling
Although medicine was in his blood, the prospective surgeon, told Outlook that even after completing his A'level examinations, he was still uncertain of his professional calling.
However, his parents aided him in making the decision to go doctor. Not in a high-handed way but, by laying the cards on the table, showing him the ranging options available to him in the medical field.
During his year or two-year study period at Oxford University, England, and depending on the course he chooses, the 2005 Rhodes Scholar is contemplating doing clinical research in the rate of wound healing. Additionally, he plans to acquire a MBA in economics.
