Young Jamaicans entering university should be prepared to pursue excellence, adapt when life disrupts their plans and build the character and relationships that will sustain them beyond the classroom. That was the message from Kaysia Vaughan, Group Chief Customer and Brand Officer at VM Group, as she addressed recipients of the 2026 Burger King Scholarships, challenging them to take ownership of their journeys and resist allowing their circumstances, setbacks or the expectations of others to determine how far they can go.

Drawing on her own journey from Clark’s Town in Trelawny to executive leadership, Vaughan told the scholarship recipients that successful careers and lives rarely follow a perfectly mapped path.

“You don’t need to see the entire road to start walking. Sometimes, you simply need enough courage to take the next step,” she said.

Vaughan reflected on a career that has taken her through sales, marketing, communications, banking, insurance, retail, entrepreneurship, customer experience and leadership, noting that some of her most important lessons came not from the classroom, but from people, mentors, mistakes, difficult experiences and opportunities she almost did not take.

Using the acronym B.L.A.Z.E. as the foundation of her address, Vaughan encouraged the students to ‘Believe before they see success, Learn beyond the classroom, Aim higher than what is expected, Zig when life changes the route, and make Excellence their standard’.

She urged the scholarship recipients to recognise that while academic qualifications are important, their ability to learn continuously, build relationships, communicate effectively, solve problems and work with people will also help to determine their success.

“Education opens the door, but who you become determines what happens after you walk through it,” Vaughan said. “So, when you enter university, don’t just chase grades. Chase growth.” 

She also challenged the students to resist settling for mediocrity and to understand the long-term value of character and reputation.

“Don’t become addicted to average,” she told them. “Don’t spend four years at university asking, ‘What’s the minimum I need to pass?’ Ask: ‘What’s the maximum I can become while I’m here?’ 

Vaughan encouraged the students to protect their integrity as carefully as they pursue academic and professional success, noting that their reputations could ultimately prove more consequential than their qualifications.

“Long after people forget your GPA, they will remember whether they could trust you. Your reputation often enters rooms before you do. Make sure it says something good about you,” she said.

Addressing the uncertainty and setbacks that can accompany both life and career, Vaughan shared that her own journey had included unexpected changes, disappointments and moments when plans did not unfold as anticipated. She encouraged the young people to develop the resilience to adjust without allowing individual setbacks to define them.

“Sometimes what feels like rejection is actually redirection. Sometimes what looks like an ending becomes the beginning of something you couldn’t see before,” she said.

“Failure is an event. It is not your identity. Sometimes you don’t find the path. Sometimes you have to create one.”