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UNUSUAL PAIRING

St. Lucia man owes education to Ballston Spa 'godparents'

Agnes Pompa never waved a magic wand at Mathew Alfred, but to hear him tell it, the widowed parishioner of St. Mary's Church in Ballston Spa is like a fairy godmother.

Employed as the entertainment coordinator at the Sandals St. Lucia resort when he first met Mrs. Pompa and her late husband, Nelson, in 1994, teenaged Mathew was surprised when the vacationing couple took a special interest in his life.

"Before they left the Sandals, Agnes said they had come to regard me as their adopted son and asked if I could have anything I wanted from the U.S.A., what would it be. I replied that I'd always wished I had a pair of sneakers. 

"Sure enough, a pair of high-top sneakers materialized a short time after they returned to the States - and they were exactly the right size!"

That simple gesture made a lasting impression on Mr. Alfred. 

"I had rubbed elbows with a lot of well-to-do tourists at [the Sandals'] Golden Players Club, but none of them had reached out to me in this way before. For strangers to be so generous - expecting absolutely nothing in return - was absolutely amazing to me. It was something that changed my perspective on life."

Moving forward
Soon, Mr. Alfred was promoted to food and beverage trainee manager at the Sandals Ocho Rios resort in Jamaica, where he also reconnected with the Pompas. 

His new position "marked my formal introduction to hotel management," he explained. 

Mr. Alfred later moved on to another resort where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of seven bars, five restaurants and more. He also did employee recruitment and training and monitored health, safety and compliance issues.

As well as Mr. Alfred was doing, it became clear to him and to the Pompas that he needed to further his education.

"We told Mathew we were not super rich, but that we would like to send him a few dollars to put toward his education. Nelson thought Mathew was a go-getter. He believed in him and wanted to give him some of the advantages he had not had when he was Mathew's age," recalled Mrs. Pompa.

Education
Mr. Alfred agreed to accept the financial aid only if the couple would agree to let him repay them at a future date. He took a course in hotel supervision in Ohio, then completed a program in management strategies at Ecole Hoteliere De Lausanna in Lausanna, Switzerland.

By 1998, Mr. Alfred was supporting himself as a junior assistant manager at the Sandals Halcyon, Castries, Saint Lucia. He distinguished himself by assisting with the operation of the resort and auditing department service standards, plus working toward "greening" the resort.

After two years and two more promotions, Mr. Alfred turned to working on a degree in economics at the London School of Economics. He subsequently earned his Master's degree in hotel management from Thames University in England and another degree in public health and health promotion. At the same time, he worked in a variety of hospitality industry settings abroad. 

This hard work ultimately paid off when Mr. Alfred was awarded a position as a part-time lecturer at the London Institute of Technology and Research Health Economics and Health, Nutrition & Corporate Strategy. 

Today, he is regarded as an asset to the prestigious London Hotel School in West Kensington, England. He hopes to pilot a workplace program concentrating on diabetes prevention among hotel employees.

Grateful 
"Now I go to work, but it doesn't feel like work," the lecturer confided during a visit to the Pompas home in Ballston Spa. "I truly enjoy helping and guiding others - something I'd not have been in a position to do had it not been for Agnes and Nelson Pompa."

Although Mrs. Pompa insists Mr. Alfred would have succeeded even without the financial boost, he is not so sure. 

"It's been a beautiful struggle, but my life would be very different today if Agnes and Nelson hadn't come along when they did," he stated. "Knowing they cared about and believed in me meant failure was not an option. 

"Whenever I began to doubt myself or worry about whether I could achieve my goals, I would think of them and the obstacles they told me they had faced and overcome in their own lives. I would draw strength from that and persevere where I might otherwise have been tempted to quit. I kept my eyes on that."

(09/17/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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