Patricia Williams lost almost everything while chasing one dream. Her business disappeared. So did her marriage, home and car. She buried her mother, battled a life-threatening blood clot, and even completed coursework from a hospital bed. Yet, despite the setbacks, the 50-year-old is preparing to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

“From I started the degree I lose everything. I’m like Job,” she said, while comparing her tribulations to those of the biblical character renowned for enduring immense suffering and loss without losing faith. “I lost everything.”

Williams, a native of Gordon Town, St Andrew, graduated from Mona High School with only three CSEC subjects. In order to matriculate into the University of Technology (UTech), Jamaica, she had to strengthen her academic qualifications by returning to complete additional CSEC subjects, including mathematics and human and social biology, while simultaneously pursuing a Level Three entrepreneurship course at the Vocational Training Development Institute (VTDI).