‘Follow your dreams’ – Mr. Universe, Hugh Arlington Ross, tells eager students of St Roses High

By Avenash Ramzan 

Students of St Roses High were given a bright and purposeful start to the school week when they were visited by Guyana’s world-renowned bodybuilder, the reigning Mr. Universe, Hugh Arlington Ross, who delivered a motivational talk and gave insights into his hugely successful career. 

The 51-year-old Ross, Guyana’s most decorated athlete in the field of bodybuilding, whose firm, well-chiselled physique and undying passion to succeed have been his trademark in a glittering career, is on his annual visit to the country of his birth. 

Since the inauguration of the Hugh Ross Classic in 2008, an event held in his honour, Ross has made it his duty to visit schools across the country to share his life’s experience, which he hopes will inspire the younger generation of Guyanese.

Eversham Primary School, of East Berbice, the school he attended, and St Stanislaus College of Georgetown were the first two schools to benefit from Ross’s initiative. 

Yesterday, he told a packed auditorium of eager students to “follow your dreams”, and be cognisant of the fact that hard work and dedication bring success. 

“You’re at that pivotal stage of your life whereby you can now decide what your future can actually be. Once you make that decision and you’re serious about it, I guarantee you that every single day there is something you can do towards getting closer to that goal,” Ross, who stands at 5’10”, explained. 

The soft-spoken athlete, who was born in Eversham village, Corentyne, Berbice, revealed that he has patterned his life on several core values, the most important of which is discipline. 

“Added to that, I’m a natural athlete, meaning I’ve never entertained the thought of taking any form of performance enhancing drugs; so that makes my job even more difficult. I’m very proud of my achievements, and it shows that with hard work and dedication anything can be achieved.” 

The New York-based Ross, who has an off-season weight of 212 pounds and competes at a weight of 193, gave the beaming students a brief insight into his early life, which was primarily spent in rural Guyana.

“Immediately after secondary school, it was all about work, work, work. I taught for a while, then I became a trained nurse. I did a number of clerical stuff, being a teller in the bank, and so on. I also worked with Transport and Harbours Department, and then subsequently I went into the military. I guess that was my forte because, to me, the military was just like being at home. The same type of upbringing that I had — being very rugged in the countryside, farming and being in the backlands, being in the army was just like the advanced stage of that,” Ross posited. 

After his inspirational speech, Ross allowed the students an opportunity to quiz him on aspects of his life and career. While the questions ranged from his diet to his daily routine, most of the pupils seemed interested in how he felt after winning the Mr. Universe title in London earlier this year. 

“It was a very humbling experience. And I want to share with you as well that, not only was I the first Guyanese to do that, but I think the only Caribbean athlete to achieve that; and according to the records, I was also the first athlete in the U.S. to be able to do that since 1994.” 

His comments were met with loud applause, as the youngsters were clearly enthused by the presence of such a fine gentleman in the auditorium of one of Georgetown’s top learning institutions. 

“In actuality, I do not think it (winning Mr Universe) has impacted on me fully as yet. I’m constantly reminded in my travels by individuals who are stopping me and complimenting me; and from their reaction, they seem to be even more elated that I am. So, more and more, it’s beginning to dawn on me.” 

If the enthusiastic reaction of the students is anything to go by, then Ross would have surely left the Church Street institution safe in the knowledge that his achievements are equally appreciated in Guyana as they are on the streets of Brooklyn.