In a world where gender stereotypes have long dictated career choices, one woman is breaking barriers. She is also encouraging other women to follow suit.
Rehanna Moore
Meet Rehanna Moore, a trailblazer who has been navigating the roads for over two decades, shattering the glass ceiling in a predominantly male-dominated profession.
In fact, her journey is not just about driving but about overcoming numerous obstacles.
THE EARLY YEARS
Rehanna, a driver at Knight Rider Transportation Services shared that she grew up in a single-parent home.
My mom was the only breadwinner, so I grew up in poverty, and I think people who grow up in that are the strongest kind of people. My mom is a very strong woman, a champion, even though she was a single parent. She guided me; she made me strong. She made me the woman I am today. I am grateful for her.
This Georgetown resident relayed that she was unable to attend high school owing to the fact that her mother could not afford it.
This was compounded by the fact that she had to take care of her other siblings as her mother worked to put food on the table.
MARRIAGE, POTENTIAL AND EDUCATION – STRONG SUPPORT
Nevertheless, she got married at a very young age, and her partner, whom she described as “loving,” kept pushing her to return to school and fulfill her dreams.
My husband is my mentor, my confidant, and my everything. He is what built me up further, into the strong woman. He supported me, sending me back to the Adult Education Association to write back CSEC. I always had this thing for learning. I did early childhood education and care for the elderly. I did first aid and CPR. Then I went to do the pre-nursing course, the three months pre-nursing course. I wanted to enter nursing school, and we had to do five CXC basic subjects, and I made it. I got 90% overall, but I couldn’t continue. I had my last child. He was in nursery, in Kindergarten, and he used to get home at 12 noon, so I had no one to look after him. So, I had no one to look after him. So, I had to just forget about the whole nursing career.
For over two decades, Rehanna and her husband operated their own school bus business, transporting not just their children but also the neighborhood’s kids.
We started out with our kids, and then in the neighbourhood, we started with the neighbours kids. So, in our area, in the Lodge area, where I live, we were well known. We had built like 80 children. So, we used to have to make two trips in the mornings, and two trips in the afternoon, each bus – my husband and I.
However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of their business, leading Rehanna to be at home, contemplating her next move.
Rehanna and her husband
Resilience, a quality deeply ingrained in Rehanna’s upbringing, became the driving force behind her decisions. She was employed with Knight Rider Transportation Services.
I love driving. Driving allows you to feel in control. Being a woman in this field, I think, is a challenge, but I would like to encourage other women. In Knight Rider, we have a beautiful, hard-working, dedicated team. It is a pleasure dealing with different people every day – transporting them to the airport and from the airport, having conversations with them.
As a mother of three, Rehanna took her educational journey to set an example for her children. Today, all three of her kids are engineers. They are breaking gender stereotypes in fields like geology and building construction engineering.
The girls are geologists, and my son is a building construction engineer. My eldest daughter just got her geoscientist license, and the other one is working on her engineering license. It is a challenge being a female in that field. But you can do it, women can do it.
To this end, this 50-year-old driver underscored the importance of pursuing one’s dreams regardless of age or circumstances. She emphasises that it’s never too late to learn and grow.
Rehanna and her daughters.
Despite challenges, she remains optimistic about her aspirations, asserting that her dream of becoming a vet is still alive.
I love animals. I am an animal lover, I am an animal activist. My grandfather, I used to help him to feed the animals, look after them, wash their kennels, cook their food, water the plants, take care of them that is why I had this dream to become a vet.
