White Horses resident plans to conquer all at PAN finals

The joy of seeing her two young daughters, seven-year-old Saria and three-year-old Chelsea, smiling each day serves as motivation to 29-year-old PAN 2019 finalist Kerisa Wright.

"Being a single mom, my daughters are very dependent on me. The proceeds from my jerk chicken business is what sends them to school. It also pays their school fees and takes care of their everyday needs," Wright said.

In 2017, Wright entered PAN and she finished in second place for her parish, St Thomas. However, she failed to win any of the top three prizes at the Grand Final.

Wright took a leap of faith and decided to re-enter. She went back to the drawing board and re-worked her formula for PAN 2019 Regional 1, which took place last month at Folly Oval, Portland.

She finished in first place for St Thomas. Her winnings did not stop there. She tied for third place in the Miracle Sauce Boss competition, and she finished in second place overall for the region.

"A friend of mine encouraged me to re-enter and give it another try. I did my best and I am very happy with the outcome," said Wright.

"My two daughters were there with my mother and when they saw me on the stage and heard my name called as winner, they screamed out my name and started to cry. I was overwhelmed with emotion because I did this for them. My daughter Chelsea said to me afterwards that she was proud of me."

a proprietor

For the past five years, Wright has been the proprietor of Girlie's Chicken & Soup Corner, a jerked chicken and soup shop which is located on the main road in White Horses, St Thomas.

"I have been here on the main road trying to survive and make my way through just to ensure that my daughters are okay. Sometimes I get scared seeing the big trucks passing by each day, and I wish I could come off the road and have a stable location to do my business," Wright shared.

She hopes to emerge successful at the PAN 2019 Grand Final, which is scheduled for Grizzly's Plantation on Sunday, October 27, in St Ann. The JN Group is a major partner for PAN 2019 and the company is committed to the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises and the development of communities.

The top three winners of the competition will benefit from a combined prize of $300,000, as well as an interest-free loan.

"If I were to win one of those prizes from JN, it would go a far way in helping me to start build an establishment where I can operate my business from without any fear. I already have my eyes set on a shop and I want to open a restaurant in Springfield," said Wright.

She continued, "I would still have the one on the roadside and probably have someone run it. But my aim is to have two businesses because I have to secure my children's future."