 
Back in 2007, Omari Ashby told Newsday writer, Janelle De Souza about his desire to pursue a degree in Arts and Cultural Management Studies. Eight years later, he is enrolled as a full-time student in the Faculty of Humanities and Education doing that BA in Carnival Studies and winning the Faculty Award for the Highest GPA for Level II.
If he had to give one piece of advice to his fellow students it would be that they should explore and enjoy all that the Campus has to offer and not just focus on the academics.
This is fitting advice from Ashby, who is heavily involved in the local music industry. Some may remember him from his early days as a member of the rapso group Kindred, but Omari went into production as well, earning himself quite a reputation in that area. Karega Mandela had singled him out for his good vibes. “I real like Omari’s vibes because he just want to make good music and not on doing music for any season,” he had said.
There is a sense that his civic responsibility goes deep. He had been a part of the Network Community Organisation’s “Rhythm of Life” programme, joining with Mandela, Brother Resistance and Sharlan Bailey to do school visits where they talked and sang and generally engaged in discourse with students.
“We try to give them some perspective on the things that are coming at them so fast now. We cover everything from self-awareness and self-respect to HIV/AIDS and then some schools have their own specific issues to deal with. We just try to be real with them and give them an idea about the things happening around them,” he had said in the 2007 interview.
“He believes this is important because many people assume that because the children look mature and sometimes act like adults that they are, but in the end they are still children... children who need guidance,” wrote De Souza.
And it seems he is still giving back, being named President for 2015-2017 term of the Alumni Association of Woodbrook Secondary School, the place where he felt the foundation was laid for his successes.
He is founder and Managing Director of Jaliman Entertainment Limited, a multimedia service company, with over 23 years of experience in the industry.
Being a dedicated businessman has not distracted him from his academic pursuits one bit as his Faculty award shows. He describes it as validation for the work that he has put in and contributes his success to proper time management. Always one to look to the next level of accomplishment Omari has his eyes set on a programme at the MPhil level once he has completed his Bachelor of Arts.
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