Report Cards

Jun 18

A+ in Resilience

I am beyond thrilled to bring my keynote cabaret, The Gift of the Setback, back to the stage! This time, it’s happening at Don’t Tell Mama, just one month from today—on Friday, July 17th.

That date is no coincidence.

July 17th marks the 50th anniversary of that Saturday summer afternoon in 1976 when fourteen-year-old me landed at JFK International Airport—with a face full of teenage acne, a thick Jamaican accent, and a heart full of hopes and dreams to start a new life in America.

I had just completed two challenging years at a strict all-girls boarding school in Jamaica.

As a poor young girl from the Jamaican countryside, I struggled to fit in and navigate a new environment where the proper way to hold a fork and the meticulous maintenance of neat, orderly uniforms were the priorities.

Not what you felt. Not what you thought.

I shared a dorm with three other girls:

The sister of Miss Jamaica, the school’s top athlete, and one of the smartest girls in the school.

And then there was me—the country girl who didn’t know how to fix her hair or speak “properly.”

The outcast.

No stylish clothes.

No weekend visitors.

Alone in so many ways.

Recently, I found my faded and yellowing Jamaican high school report cards from those years, and reading them was like stepping back in time.

I couldn’t help but smile at some of the subjects I studied:

Needlepoint
Typewriting
Cookery

Then there were the comments:

“Donna must settle down and put more effort into all her work.” — Headmistress

“Donna has difficulty with this subject.” — History

“Donna needs to do some more work.” — Geography

“Donna is still not trying hard enough.” — General Science

“Donna can improve her work.” — Arithmetic

Some of the other comments referred to me as “lazy” and “disappointing,” and one even suggested I “should be neater in appearance.”

I remember reading those comments, feeling judged and excluded, wondering if I would ever be smart or good enough to rise above the lowest ranks in a class of thirty-four students.

Yet, I showed promise in a few subjects: Piano, Speech, Singing, and Drama.

My passions quietly brewing.

Over these five decades in America, I’ve enjoyed blessings that the young girl who once felt like an outcast could never have dreamed of. I’ve also learned bitter lessons from some truly abysmal experiences—and I’m incredibly grateful for it all.

Because I would not have fully appreciated the light without the shadows.

I would not have found my footing had life not thrown me off balance.

Now, fifty years later, as an award-winning author, SAG actor, cabaret singer, lifestyle model, keynote speaker, ICF coach, entrepreneur, and former HR executive, I know this to be undeniably true:

I get to decide my worth!

Not what was written on those report cards.

Not what was said or believed by others.

Period.

Because worth is not given, it is claimed—rooted deep within, beyond judgment or circumstance. It is the quiet, unshakable truth that no setback, no label, no external voice can erase. Choosing your worth is an act of courage, a rebellion against every story that says you are less. It is owning your scars as much as your strengths and knowing that your value is infinite and undeniable.

As Nido Qubein wisely said, “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you go; they merely determine where you start.”

If you’ve ever felt unseen or less than, there is a message in this show for you.

Come celebrate 50 years of resilience, transformation, and the power of owning your story with me on July 17th at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City, as The Gift of the Setback returns to the stage.

I’ll sing songs and share stories about hurdles, hope, and healing as we celebrate our unique journeys of courage, determination, and resilience.

I can’t wait to see you there, Rockstars!