The Right Ingredients

Sean's love for baking has led him to be recognised by a top international hotel chain. (GP)

By Kimberley Cummins

Sometimes it is hard not to get discouraged when you think you are deserving of something and are told to wait for a call–ever so often.

This was the case for Sean Duke on several occasions in the past. The 20–year–old, who was born with a condition called congenital hip dislocation (CDH), has heard the dreaded “not right now” more often than he would have liked, especially on his quest to secure a job.

However, by affirming the mantra that failure isn’t the end, unless you let it be, today he is responding to naysayers by basking in the celebrations of being recognised with the 2020 Pace Setter Award of a top rated international hotel chain Sandals.

“I would go on job interviews and I would feel as though no one wanted me, like if no one really needed me. .  . . On the are occasion I did get the job during the internship period some weren’t as welcoming because they believed because of my condition they would have to adjust too much or make extra special provisions,” he recounted.

CDH, which is also known as developmental dysplasia of the hip, is caused by abnormal formation of the hip joint during the early stages of foetal development. The instability worsens as the child grows and the ball–and-socket joint in the child’s hip may sometimes dislocate. This means that the ball will slip out of the socket or sometimes completely dislocate with movement.

Sean's mum, Michelle cried openly when he won his awards.
(Photo by Kimberley Cummins)

Quite recently the cheers inside the conference room at Sandals Royal Barbados in Maxwell, Christ Church were deafening as Sean accepted one of the two awards he was nominated for with a broad smile on his face. His mother, Michelle, who too couldn’t stop smiling as she watched him walked across the stage, was bursting with pride as her eyes began to swell with tears.

“I am always excited when he accomplishes things because I know he puts his all into it and he has a personality that is people friendly. He is always a go–getter. From little I didn’t put limitations on him.  In nursery I always told his teacher not to treat him any different. Whatever the others experienced I wanted him to experience. If he fail he will try again until he succeeds and that is what he has always been doing,” she said before covering her face so no one could see her cry.

The former Ellerslie Secondary student has been working as a pastry chef and barista at Sandals for a little over a year. He is trained in Culinary Arts having graduated from the Barbados Community College’s Palm Marine Institute.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this because there are a lot of other people in my opinion who worked harder than me. I am not the fastest person, I’m not the quickest person at my job but I try to do it to the best of my ability with a smile on my face every single day. For me, it’s not how fast you do it but the quality of work that you put in,” he said of his victory.

A testament of this quality of work is evident because during the period he has been with the company, Sean has been the recipient of several other awards. Including “customer whisperer” in the pastry department, he won a trip to Jamaica for the Festival of the Arts competition and he was able to advance his skillset by earning a diploma the art of coffee making.

On how he has been able to adjust to the working environment, the Long Gap Spooner’s Hill, St Michael resident admitted that due to CDH some days are harder than others but acceptance has been the most welcoming feature at Sandals.

He said: “I asked my chef if they had to make special provisions for me and he said no that they treated me normal, like everyone else and that I push yourself harder than everyone here. Some people call it (CDH) a disability but I don’t. . . . So it was not that hard because everyone accepted me from the get go. Other places may have had second thoughts about hiring me but as soon as the HR manager Karen Browne, she is no longer HR manager, she met me she told me that my personality is what they look for here at Sandals.”

This young man has never allowed his physical imperfection to be an obstacles to his success.
(Photo by Kimberley Cummins)

Sean has had several operations over the years due to his condition and is due to return to Sick Kids in Canada for another three in the future. But he isn’t letting that dampen his dreams of becoming a hotel manage, a motivational speaker and furthering his love for spoken word.

Respect

"The other day a guest told me no matter what you do, respect maketh man, woman and child and I have a bright future because I have manners. That is why I would advise other businesses to be more open about hiring people who are like me because what you see on the outside is not what you get on the inside.

“I wrote a spoken word called ‘Is perfection really Perfection or what society perceives as a perfection? Is a flaw really a flaw or what society deems as a flaw?’ Just because that I may walk different doesn’t mean that I am different. Just because I might be a little bit slower doesn’t mean I am slow. Some of us who are out there are shunned because on first appearance people do not accept us. But everything that glitter ain’t gold and everything that shimmers ain’t a diamond,” he advised.

He has become known for his ever pleasant smile. (GP)