Jhaneille Esson: The 14-year-old quiz sensation who led St. Jago High to national glory

As captain of the St. Jago High School quiz team, she led her squad to victory in late March and took the coveted SCQ trophy back to Monk Street in the old capital city of Spanish Town. Esson not only led a squad of young men to victory as a female captain, but incredibly this third former has been the captain since she was in grade seven, making her the youngest ever quiz captain in SCQ history at just age twelve!

Fast forward to 2022 and then consider how monumental it is that a young girl led St. Jago High School to their sixth championship title in the history of the competition and she did it seamlessly and without fanfare. She knew what was required of her as she had captained the team to the finals two years prior where they had just come up short then and were runners-up. That experience proved very valuable as she garnered the necessary experience, expertise and edge to hold the team steadfast and pull off a fantastic win in front of dozens of supporters in the studio and millions of viewers watching on television. And she did all of that at the grand old age of fourteen.

To say that Jhaneille Debbie-Simone Esson is a remarkable young lady would be an understatement. Self-assured, mature and wise, one often has to remember that the person conversing with you is still a teenager and one still not able to hold a driver’s license, much less vote. She is young enough to love to hang with her friends and listen to her eclectic choice of music but is aware of what she wants to accomplish in her future and knows the steps to get there while not expecting any special privileges or shortcuts.

As she tells it, the quiz team was a natural fit for her in first form as that type of academic environment was one that she was very used to. “I used to do Junior School Challenge quiz at Solid Base Preparatory in Spanish Town so because I had a love for it, I wanted to continue at the senior level,” she said in an interview with Old Harbour News. Like all members of the team, Esson has her areas of expertise. These include bible knowledge, theatre and cinema, music and English Language. Presently she is the rose among the rest of the flora, the only girl currently on the team. But anyone who sees this as a challenge would be seriously mistaken because Esson’s leadership skills are phenomenal in that she has already mastered the art of motivating without dictating. “Honestly it is OK,” she said “because I don’t feel like the odd one out. They work with me and respect my ideas. If they don’t agree they will say ‘captain I don’t agree with you’ so we find another way because at the end of the day it’s about what’s best for the team. There is no issue of the guys having trouble taking instructions or advice from a girl. In fact, they are very easy to work with and they trust my judgement more than their own at times, so it’s easy to work with them. I’m an only child but I do consider my quiz mates and past players my family.”

On the evening of the match, Esson walked in the match super confident, especially since she had gotten her team to that point before and therefore knew what to expect. It was not a time to be complacent but also not a time to let nervous energy cause unnecessary mistakes. She therefore kept her team calm, cool and coordinated to bring it home in fine style, as it became evident to viewers watching the match after the first round that the opponent, Calabar, was clearly out-matched. “I was very confident as my teammates and I were on the same page and we knew we were not going to stop until we won,” said the Spanish Town native.

Jhaneille, who is a Gemini, is used to being told that she is very mature for her chronological years and to this she agrees, as being a part of a programme that takes you out of your home, away from your immediate family and submerged full-time into intensive academic training, would probably have other girls her age complaining that it is too much to handle. Esson, however, is obviously made of sterner stuff so there will be no complaints about the process because she feels iron sharpens iron and she wants to grow, test herself and learn as much as she can. The mind’s ability to expand and take in new material is so amazing that she just wants to soak it all up, as much as possible. “It can be a lot sometimes,” she admits. “Some days are more challenging than others. I honestly don’t even look at it as hours of training per day but consider the whole day training as we start early and finish late. I do feel mature beyond my years at times and even at school, my friends will sometimes say that they don’t understand when I talk as I use a lot of big words (laughs). Plus most of my friends are in grades higher than me.”

As the entire quiz team lives, studies, eats and works together for months at a time, those who may have started off as colleagues, grow into becoming good friends and eventually a sort of blended family, considering that these teenagers spend more time in the quiz camp than at home. For Jhaneille, it is a sacrifice she is willing to make as she knows that it will be worth it in the end. “It can be difficult and yes at times I really want to be in my own bed, but then I remind myself that I chose this and this is what it takes to win so I just have to bend my mind to my condition and work with it,” she said.

Striking that balance between what is required for school and what it takes to train for quiz she added that is is a lot easier than most people think as after a while it becomes not only seamlessly, but adapting quiz strategies in her school subjects does prove advantageous. “It is a lot easier than I thought it would be, as quiz actually helps me in my school work and in my classes,” the articulate quiz wiz stated. “Even if I miss something it helps me to catch on faster. Sometimes I even give the teachers shortcuts to get students to grasp something easier.”

As a third former, Esson enjoys school and all that comes along with it. Currently, she does both Spanish and French, all three sciences plus Mathematics and English. Math she says is her favorite subject because she loves working with figures but she also does very well in English. In the future, young Esson sees herself pursuing a career as an electrical engineer, a chosen field that may not come as a surprise given the early signs she has been showing. “I want to work in a field of technology as we are advancing a lot in the technological age and technology has proved instrumental in a lot of fields including tele-medicine so I feel I can be very useful in that area,” She said.

When it comes to role models, Jhaneille emphasized that lots of people inspire her to be the best version of herself, saying: “Well I have many role models, mainly my parents because I really admire their work ethics as it is amazing. I also see how they are, not just with me but everyone because they are incredibly giving, so I try to emulate their compassion and I try to be nice to everyone, even those who don’t accept the kindness. I can’t say I have a specific motivator as it basically comes from everywhere: my parents, my coaches, my team mates, even myself so I draw motivation from everywhere and take the best of what everyone has to offer and utilize it.”

And what do her friends think about her being on the quiz team? “They love it,” she tells me “Sometimes when I’m not there, they would message me with ‘OMG, school is so boring without you’ and then catch me up on anything interesting I’ve missed. And if ever I’m feeling stressed which I rarely do, so I would say whenever I‘m feeling slightly overwhelmed, which is not often, they will cheer me up. They are my number one cheerleaders who love to create excitement about me.”

Esson resides in Ensom City, Spanish Town and is lovingly raised by her parents Oneil and Jhann-Marie Esson who try to ensure that their daughter lives up to her full potential in every way by allowing her to basically set her own pace. According to her mother, they both realised from she was a toddler that she had a gift. “Well I think I’ve always known she was special as when she was around four and at pre-school, she was awarded a reading scholarship and the principal told me that she was reading two grade levels above her age,” said Mrs Esson.

Sending your child off to a camp for long stretches was indeed a challenge, but the Essons trusted God’s guidance and knew that they had a child who was mature enough to take care of herself both physically and emotionally. “We had to get used to not seeing her at home every day. Her aunts and uncles constantly asked for her and wondered how she was doing. My husband and I would visit her on weekends and ask if she needed snacks, etcetera but we saw for ourselves that she was comfortable so we became more comfortable as time passed,” the proud mother continued. “Whenever I miss her, I would just call her. She might be busy so she may not answer same time but she would always call back and we would chat and catch up. Plus, it wasn’t her first rodeo as she has been doing this for three years now.” On the night of the finals she recalled how anxious she was but deep in her heart knew that Jhaneille and the boys were well prepared. “Yes, I was very nervous,” she said. “Her father was as cool as a cucumber but I was a bundle of nerves.”

For mom, having a child who brings so much joy to the family is truly remarkable and at times she just wants to pinch herself to ensure that she is not dreaming about how blessed they truly are. “Jhaneille is one of the most humble persons you will meet. People may think she loves the spotlight she gets from doing quiz but she doesn’t. She loves the whole camaraderie aspect of it and the knowledge that she gains because she has an enquiring mind. I am so proud of her. She is an enigma I believe for want of a better word. I am still trying to find the right word to describe her because she is so special,” she said.