Jasmine Navarro, First Female Electrical Student at Sadie Vernon

At Sadie Vernon Technical High School, a new spark is lighting up the electrical program. For the first time last year, a young woman joined the trade, breaking stereotypes and inspiring others. A school where most boys dominate the technical and vocational fields is seeing change, as fourth-form student Jasmin Navarro continues to hold her own in a classroom full of boys. News Five’s Zenida Lanza has the following story.

 

Zenida Lanza, Reporting

With an enrollment of over two hundred students, sixty percent males, forty percent females, Sadie Vernon usually sees its girls choosing majors like business or food and nutrition. But in September 2024, Jasmin Navarro became the first to sign up for the Electrical, TD and Entrepreneurship program.

 

Jasmin Navarro, Student, Sadie Vernon Technical High School

“When I was in First Form, I did clothing and textile and food nutrition very well. But I already know that basics, so I decided why not try something different. And, well, I saw people doing business, and business was never really an option, so I was like, electrical and TD sounded very interesting, so I tried it. I’m like, it’s, well, if you want to try something new, you’ll have to get hurt one way or another.”

 

Her decision raised eyebrows. Friends were confused, and her family worried about the dangers of electricity. But Jasmin pressed on, determined to prove herself. Her teacher, Sandra Williams, one of the few female electrical instructors in Belize, says it wasn’t until her seventeenth year of teaching that she finally welcomed a female student.

 

Sandra Williams, Teacher, Sadie Vernon Technical High School

“As the electrical teacher, I’ve always been advocating for girls to take that bold leap of faith. And last year, Jasmine decided to do just that. Since she has been in the course, her presence has certainly inspired the other girls. And I believe that every year moving forward, we’re going to get more female, you know, who sign up for the course. The course is paired with technical drawing right now and entrepreneurship so that they will have a well-rounded experience when they leave here.”

 

Inspired by her father and cousins who work in electronics and mechanics, Jasmin was not a stranger to the field. She quickly excelled, earning top marks and respect from her classmates.

 

Sandra Williams

“I am happy for the new intakes, for the transfer students. They are learning and they are excited. And Jasmine, she sometimes works as my co-teacher, right? She has definitely made a name for herself. She is one of the top students last year in this program. And, you know, many of our male students actually request that she build their final diploma exam project. Jasmine certainly hold the reins, she’s not afraid to get down get her hands dirty as you can see here she’s a little bit short so she use our chairs or whatever means she can to get up there and work and that’s the key as a female. We cannot sit down and look on in a trade like this, you have to be brave. You have to be bold. And you have to be willing to get down with the boys. The boys see her as the equal. They don’t treat her any different, and they don’t give her any preferential treatment. So she worked hard, just like them.”

 

Young girls at Sadie Vernon are saying, “If Jasmin can do it, I can do it too”. This year, two more female transfer students joined the program in fourth form, and one more girl signed up in third form. And while she does not seem like your typical role model, this is the message she shared to them.

 

Jasmin Navarro

“Do what you love, honestly. Because even if you see, like, somebody being like, Oh, if you’re a girl, you can’t do that. No, no. You do what you love, and, well, do whatever you want. Technically it’s your life. You can’t make someone control your life.”

 

The school’s Vice Principal, Samson Jacobs, says her story highlights a bigger message.

 

Samson Jacobs, Vice Principal, Sadie Vernon Technical High School

“We come from a society where we add gender to professions, right? And Jasmine, having that skill in electrical, I believe that it needs to be highlighted and to share her story that regardless of your gender, you can study whatever you want to be, right? We’re a technical vocational school. Electrical, just like TD and foods and clothing ties in with the curriculum and specifically with competency-based education. So, we want our students, while they learn the theory, we want them to bring that into the practical world so they can go out in the workforce and be good ambassadors of our institution. So, we’re proud of her. We’re proud of miss Williams, and we want to encourage other technical schools to try and highlight the good things that are happening within their institutions.”

 

Jasmin hopes to continue her studies at ITVET, with dreams of becoming an engineer or mechanic. Her presence, though, has made a difference. Younger students now see possibilities they never imagined. Reporting for News Five, I’m Zenida Lanza.