While attending Mona High School in St Andrew, at the end of one academic year, when the grades were tallied, Johnoy Davis barely managed to escape coming dead last in his class. He placed 42nd out of a class of 43 students. However, the saying, “It is not how you start but how you finish that defines your journey”, holds true for the young gospel singer. On May 9, he walked across the stage at Edward Walters University in Jacksonville, Florida, with top honours and a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Now, armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications, Davis credits much of his academic turnaround to the investment that the African Methodist Episcopal Church made in his life.

“I did not want to disappoint the people who sacrificed, supported, and believed in me when I was still trying to figure myself out. Over time, I also began to realise that I genuinely had academic potential, and so I became locked in on excellence,” Davis told The Gleaner.