Former pickpocket now saving youth

Oshane Larmond was once stealing from his own parents, bleaching his skin and partying every day, chasing a version of himself he now says never truly existed.

"I was living a purposeless life ... stealing, lying, partying, skin bleaching, all because of the company I kept," the 31-year-old said. Today, Larmond stands in front of primary school students in St Catherine as a guidance counsellor, using those same experiences to steer young boys away from the path he once walked. Raised along March Pen Road in Spanish Town, an area long associated with crime and violence, Larmond said it was easy to drift into an environment where influence came early and often.

"Association, which is my friends... . I wasn't focused because of my association," he said, noting that peer pressure shaped many of his early decisions. "Usually when people choose that life, especially as a young boy, they stay there."

At the time, dancehall culture heavily influenced his identity.

"Vybz Kartel was my idol at that time, using the cake soap, and all that," he said. Trying to fit in, Larmond said he turned to skin bleaching - a decision he now regrets.

"I became a party animal... stealing, lying, girls and partying 24/7, from Sunday to Sunday," he added. "I stole money from people, especially my parents...and I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't take what doesn't belong to me because there is always consequences."

"I remember one Christmas holiday, I remember all of my clothes went missing," he told THE WEEKEND STAR. "It was one thing leading to another that made me believe that I needed to change my life around."

By age 21, he said, he made a decision that would alter the course of his life - he got baptised. He admitted that change was hard because he was coming from a lifestyle that he was accustomed to.

"[But] salvation comes with ambition, so I started to change my environment," he said. "There is a plant name cactus tree... in Africa it grows to approximately 26 feet. It was removed from Africa and taken to America; it has never passed 13 feet, because of its environment." So he changed his environment and started getting mentorship from his pastor. Over time, discipline replaced chaos. Larmond later spent eight years working as a correctional officer before pursuing higher education at The Mico University College. That transition, he said, helped solidify his purpose.

"One of the things I share with my students is my past...the different experiences," he said.

Now working as a guidance counsellor at the primary-school level, he is intentional about reaching children early.

"Knowing how the world is, I try to exercise faith. I try to look for mentors, someone you can look up to that will be a role model in your life," he said. "I try to pattern that kind of behaviour and choose my association; that is very important." He opined that change must start in the home.

"Train up a child in the way he should grow and you will not depart from it...the home is very important," he said, partly quoting the Bible.

Larmond's journey is detailed in his book From Sin to Grace, which chronicles his life from a troubled youth influenced by peer pressure, image and culture, to a man now driven by faith, discipline and purpose.

"Young men should believe in themselves; know that they are here for a purpose," Larmond said. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"No matter where you are in life, you can use it as a stepping stone," he added.