Born in Manchester, Jamaica, she attended Holmwood Technical High School in Christiana and competed in a variety of track and field events while there. She was in the top three of both the high jump and long jump at the Jamaican High School Championships in 2008 and made her international debut shortly after, taking the under-17 long jump silver at the 2008 CARIFTA Games. She returned at the 2009 CARIFTA Games and won that title, setting a personal best of in the process. At the competition she was also the high jump bronze medallist, double gold medallist in the 4×100 and 4×400 metres relays, and set a games record in the 300 metres hurdles as well. She was among the contenders in the long jump at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics, but was twenty centimetres off her best in the final and finished in ninth place.