Moriah Wong Chong a typical teen from Success Village, Laventille; a hotbed of culture, creativity and character and also the birthplace and epicenter of pan, the only new musical instrument invented in the 20th century. She is a pannist playing with the youth Steelpan ensemble Pangelics. Her blend of curiosity and courage is contagious. This combination usually results in her diving head first into new experiences. Much like the time she decided to teach herself to swim by diving into a swimming pool, pampers and all. She was 1 ½ years old. This has been her signature approach over the last fifteen years that has seen her become not only a swimmer but a PADI scuba diver, cricketer, basketball player, musician and now a writer.
Living through a pandemic has certainly increased Moriah’s awareness of global issues especially involving the environment. The boost in e-learning brought new media skills which she plans to combine with her writing to build social media campaigns which represent a youth’s perspective. Buckled in next to Moriah, on this roller coaster ride is her older brother Joshua, and her Mom Juliet who seems to be silently signaling ,“Help,I’m a celebrity. Get me outta here!” Tsk,Tsk,Tsk. We’ll just have to wait and see where Moriah goes from here. After all she’s from Success Village, Laventille, where success is the only option.