Vina May Shirley

Vina was born in Westmorland, Jamaica, the sixth of ten children— Eccle, Mary, Headley, Steadman, Ella, Vina, Emeline, Riggley, Stanton, and Eric —born to Ernest and Agnes Chambers. She grew up to become a strong, intelligent, independent, and accomplished woman who never allowed circumstances to define the limits of what she could achieve.

It was in Falmouth, Jamaica, that Vina met the man who would become her husband, Keith Shirley. Together, they built a family and were blessed with five children: Angela, Kenneth, Carol, Georgia, and Howard.

Our mother was an entrepreneur long before entrepreneurship became fashionable. She worked in and owned several businesses in Jamaica. She was ambitious, resourceful, and hardworking. She believed in providing for her family and did everything she could to ensure her children had every opportunity to succeed.

Vina accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior and passed her deep faith on to her children.

In 1977, Vina made the courageous decision to migrate to the United States. But she didn't leave her children behind or forget about us. She worked, saved, sacrificed, and planned. Within two years, she had sponsored all five of her children to join her in America.

My mother was a woman who truly knew how to make something out of nothing. She was tenacious, determined, and intelligent, yet she was also one of the funniest people you could ever meet.

She loved people.

She loved to dance.

She loved to cook.

She loved fashion.

Our mother taught us to work hard, do the right thing, and take care of family—not through speeches, but by how she lived every single day.

And then, when many people might have felt their educational years were behind them, my mother decided she wasn't finished yet. In her mid-50s, she went back to school. She attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration.

Think about that. A woman who had raised five children, built businesses, immigrated to a new country, and established her family still decided there was more she wanted to achieve. And she did it.