EMOGENE HABET

Elizabeth Pridgeon

As this weekly feature is continuing to prove, Belize is home to some exceptionally selfless, altruistic characters who dedicate themselves to the betterment of their country. The only slightly disheartening feature of all this is that there seems a deficit of members of younger generations who strive to become role-models as exemplary citizens.  Thus it is even more satisfying than usual that this week, a young twenty-something woman is the subject of our ‘Nation Builders’ feature.

Emogene Habet, currently the Social and Environmental Coordinator at Belize Natural Energy, has the resume, qualifications and experience of someone twice her age, which on paper demonstrates what she represents in person: drive, motivation and ambition.  Born and raised in San Ignacio, Emogene attended Sacred Heart Primary School and College before commuting to St. John’s Sixth Form in Belize City to further her education. Throughout her childhood, her parents reinforced the importance of education to Emogene, and in accordance with her father’s philosophy, she appreciates education as a gift and a status which, once attained, cannot be denied by anybody. Thus after graduation from St John’s, Emogene was delighted to receive a scholarship to the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she majored in Communication, with a concentration in Advertising.

Upon her return to Belize, Emogene used the opportunities that had been offered to her to improve the opportunities of others, and registered as a teacher at the recently opened Sacred Heart Sixth Form College.  However, after just two semesters, Emogene realised that her real potential for teaching would depend on furthering her education in fields appropriate to contemporary Belize.  Having focused several of her assessments and dissertations whilst studying abroad on the Belizean tourist industry, Emogene felt that her qualities and qualifications as a teacher would be greatly improved if she first furthered her own education in this field.  As determined as ever, Emogene set about securing educational funding, and acquired a full accommodation and tuition scholarship from the prestigious University of Westminster in London in 2003 to study Tourism Management.

Having acquired her second degree, and still in her early twenties, Emogene returned to the field of teaching in 2005, but again analysed her situation and considered herself to still lack in essential experience; there is little doubt that Emogene was one of the best teachers in her institution at the time, but her personality is such that she continually strives to better herself through exposing herself to new opportunities and new ideas.  So, despite having already achieved so much in such a relatively short space of time, Emogene chose to return to the UK in order to acquire some work experience, and to test herself in a new workplace environment at a Distance Learning Centre in Canterbury.  Over a period of two years, Emogene progressed through the various stages of promotion at the institution, until she was given considerable responsibility in the post of Academic Coordinator.

When she eventually returned to Belize, within a matter of weeks Emogene found enviable employment at Belize Natural Energy, where she has been a dedicated member of staff ever since. Recently, she has also taken over extra responsibility at the company as the coordinator of the Environmental Health and Safety Unit: being the authoritative figure over a male-dominated group, many of whom have many more years work experience than Emogene, doesn’t seem to faze her in the slightest, and her co-workers divulged their delight that she is now part of their team.  Working in a new and innovative field, such as Belize Natural Energy, is enough to exhaust just about anyone, but Emogene incredibly has found the energy (no pun intended!) to become an active member of society through the Rotaract Club of San Ignacio.

Soon after joining the Rotaract club in 2007, Emogene unofficially took over the role of Club President when a colleague resigned from the post.  By June 2008, the club recognised her excellent contribution to the club in the interim months without an official President, and she was ceremoniously elected as President in June 2008. During a year of serving in this post, Emogene began the Meritorious Children’s Project, which recognises school children’s personal qualities (as opposed to the more orthodox method of merit, stipulated exclusively by a child’s academic achievement).  This has since become an annual award program for San Ignacio Rotaract, celebrating children’s positive attributes such as enthusiasm, leadership, helpfulness and compassion (among other things), for which the nominees are awarded with a treat such as a trip to the cinema, alongside a glamorous certificate and official recognition.

Earlier this year, Emogene was responsible for motivating her Rotaract members to organise the country conference for members of all national groups; this was quite a challenge, but Emogene insists that she (and her colleagues) developed personally and professionally from the responsibility and overall experience.  And this is true Emogene-style, never to shy away from challenges, but instead to embrace them in order to develop her own characteristics in order to be able to better help more people.  One of the most crucial talents she considers in a person is an ability to motivate other people to contribute towards the drive for betterment, and for more people to adopt the ambition of positive development. In Emogene’s worthy opinion, only when Belizeans adopt a more positive attitude towards opportunities will they truly develop and realise their potential.

Being an optimist, grasping challenges with enthusiasm, daring to take risks, undertaking projects for the benefit of others (rather than solely for personal gain), are all characteristics that Emogene emulates.  And they are all qualities that she has intentionally instilled in herself, realising the importance of helping oneself in order to help others.  It is rather like the adage that states ‘you can’t love someone else until you learn to love yourself’. Emogene has intentionally acquired the capacity to love and help her fellow Belizean, despite the range of other tempting past-times that she could be doing to relax when not in her full-time post at BNE.  Surely it is people – nation-builders – like Emogene that offer the best chance for Belize to propel itself towards a better future, with better prospects and better standards of life for all Belizeans.

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