I do funerals, obituaries, and death notices…so I assist the drivers and the family with anything that they need,” said Campbell. So, if I feel like it has been a while since I’ve embalmed a body then I’ll go and help. Though she is currently not working inside of the morgue, the young adult tries her very best to give support to every bereaving family she comes across. “That is how I see it because some of the deceased may be in a different state when they died, and we are able to reconstruct their bodies to give them a great look or a similar look to how they were when they were alive. My favourite part is embalming because with, we bring back life to them basically,” she told the Observer West. I just feel like it is an honour to take care of someone’s loved one for the last time. With just four months into her career as a certified mortician, Campbell is humbled to have attained the goal at such a young age. I was 16 when I graduated high school and I started the course at the same time,” she added. “After I graduated, I didn’t see myself doing anything else. In grades 10 and 11, I didn’t really come (go to the funeral home) very often because I was focusing on my school-based assessments (SBA) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), but I would stop by,” said Campbell. This newfound love for mortuary science not only pushed Campbell to visit the morgue even after her voluntary hours were completed, but she went on to pursue an associate degree in funeral service and mortuary science at the Montego Bay Community College (MBCC).Īaliyah Campbell poses for a photograph at the Delapenha Funeral Home in Montego Bay, where she works After that incident, nothing like that ever happened again,” she noted. “I just made up my mind that this is what I’m going to do, and I grew to love it. It was a disaster and I had to call a friend to calm me down,” Campbell added with a laugh.īut, determined to complete her month of commitment, the young girl continued to volunteer at the morgue. “Cold sweat washed me and every body that I saw that day replayed in my head. But once I got home that evening, I was alone and I was so traumatised,” she told the Observer West. I was determined to give this a shot, so I was helping to embalm a body…everything went fine. “I had never seen a dead body a day in my life, but when I came, I wasn’t scared. I told my mom about it, and she got me the opportunity to do voluntary service at the funeral home that I am working at now,” she said.Īs you can imagine, a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Campbell was unprepared for what she would experience on her first day inside the morgue. “I didn’t have a career path at the time, so I was exploring and that drew my interest. With the support of her mother, Campbell later landed the opportunity to do a month of voluntary service at the Delapenha Funeral Home in Montego Bay. I don’t think that’s normal because nobody just gets up and says they are going to pursue a career in funeral service, but I did,” Campbell told the Jamaica Observer West in an exclusive interview. “I heard the term (mortician) somewhere, but the memory is a bit vague…I just remember saying that I am going to try this. Though her introduction to this unconventional career path may be a bit “vague”, the teenager remembers when she fell in love with the idea of working inside of a morgue at the age of 13. Now 19 years old, Campbell is a certified mortician working in one of the parish’s most recognisable funeral homes. MONTEGO BAY, St James - As a young girl attending the Mount Alvernia High School in St James, Aaliyah Campbell dreamt of one day pursuing a career in mortuary services. CAMPBELL…my favourite part is embalming because with, we bring back life to them basically.
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