Against the Odds, Odain Murray Rises from Flanker to King’s College

When Odain Murray’s iPad lit up with the news at 6:35 a.m. on June 18 that he is the 2025 Chevening/JN Oliver F Clarke scholarship awardee, he froze. Then came the flood of emotions: elation, disbelief, and deep gratitude.

“I spent the first five minutes saying, ‘Thank you, God.’ “I just kept repeating it,” he recalled. The notification confirmed what he had been working towards for months.

For Mr Murray, who grew up in Flanker and Mount Salem, Montego Bay communities often associated with violence, the award is more than a personal achievement.

“Where I’m from, not a lot of persons finish high school, much less go on to do a first degree, much less Chevening,” he said. “It means I can show other young men from similar circumstances that it is possible. You can beat the odds, no matter where you come from,” he stressed.

Mr Murray’s journey has been anything but linear. The first in his family to earn both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, he faced financial and emotional setbacks along the way. The death of his father during his second year of his undergraduate studies and financial challenges at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona forced him to drop out and find a job. Years later, driven by a growing interest in marketing, he returned to complete his studies, starting as an intern in UWI’s Marketing, Recruitment, and Communications Office.

From there, his rise was swift. He moved from student outreach and recruitment officer to assistant registrar-recruitment and now serves as acting director for marketing, recruitment, and communications at UWI, Mona. His role sees him developing enrolment strategies, promoting the UWI Mona brand, and encouraging prospective students across the Caribbean and beyond to pursue higher education.

“Higher education allows me to give back,” Mr Murray said. “One of my proudest moments was when a student told me he was here because I had visited his school and explained how to apply. I didn’t even recognise him, but he recognised me. That’s the kind of impact I want to keep making.”

Outside the office, Mr Murray is a creative force – an actor, singer, and director who has represented Jamaica in England, Barbados, and Trinidad. Now, he is preparing to merge his marketing expertise, creative talent, and passion for education.

This September, he will take up studies at King’s College London, pursuing a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Management. The programme will allow him to blend the management principles from his MBA with leadership skills tailored to higher education.

“We need strong management in higher education if the sector is to thrive,” he explained. “This programme will also strengthen my leadership skills, especially as a relatively young director in the field.”

Mr Murray credits his late father, a Rastafarian, who was expelled from his home at 14 and did not finish high school, for instilling in him respect for education and a curious mind.

“He was adamant that our lives would be different. He made sure we valued learning,” he said. He also speaks fondly of his mother, who migrated when he was three years old, but remained emotionally and financially supportive throughout his education.

The man for whom the Chevening Scholarship awarded to Mr Murray is named, shared a view similar to Mr Murray’s father about the importance of education. The late Oliver F. Clarke, who served as chairman of the JN Group for 38 non-consecutive years from 1977 to his death in 2020, believed in education as the foundation of the nation’s future, underscored JN Group chief executive officer, Earl Jarrett, as he congratulated Mr Murray on his achievement.

“He was a champion for good governance, and he was also a champion for education, because he recognised that education is the next best thing that one can do to achieve social mobility,” said Mr Jarrett.  

Mr Jarrett outlined that Mr Clarke strongly believed in providing people with support necessary to thrive and noted that he was integral to the establishment of the Governor-General’s Achievement Awards, which recognises Jamaicans who are excelling in academics or in the careers while contributing directly to the development of their locales.

“And you just heard that Mr Murray is from Mount Salem, a long journey to London, but that’s what progress is all about. And so, as you take those steps to improve your life and the life of all Jamaicans, remember what you are,” he encouraged Mr Murray.

Through a two-year Memorandum of Understanding between The Jamaica National Group and the British High Commission in Jamaica, the Chevening/JN Oliver F Clarke scholarship was established last year.

Mr Murray was selected from a pool of 90,000 applicants globally pursuing the specific course of study eligible for the Chevening/JN Oliver F Clarke scholarship. He is one of 17 successful Chevening scholarship applicants from Jamaica who will be pursuing one-year master’s degrees in the United Kingdom.

Commending Mr Murray on being selected the 2025 Oliver F. Clarke/ Chevening Scholar, Her Excellency Judith Slater, British High Commissioner to Jamaica, also emphasised the agency the scholarship provides to recipients and ultimately the country.  

“That’s the whole ethos of the Chevening scholarship: it helps people who have already achieved a great deal, and have started their careers, to go and do something which is going to help them to go even further and to do even more to advance Jamaica,” she said.

She also acknowledged the value added by The Jamaica National Group through its partnership with the British High Commission.

For students aspiring to a Chevening Scholarship, Murray’s advice is clear. “Make sure your programme aligns with Chevening’s goals and Jamaica’s development needs. Have tangible, short-term goals for when you return, and be authentic. Passion and authenticity are what make you stand out.”

With his sights set on transforming higher education in Jamaica, Mr Murray is determined that his Chevening journey will not end in London.

“This scholarship is a stepping stone,” he said. “When I come back, I want to use what I’ve learnt to make higher education more accessible, more relevant, and more impactful for Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.”

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