Next generation Leaders Winners: Front Row (l-r): Jonathan Rankine, Rohanna Finch, Jada Ramoon, Aryana Grant, Chanelle Scott, Ethan Watler, Kiara Mclaughlin, Bianca Meghoo
Over 400 students and parents and volunteers enjoyed another great Junior Achievement Awards Ceremony at the Marriott representing a record attendance at the end of year event for one of the country’s oldest youth initiatives.
12 awards were granted to students for their performance as the top leaders in the areas of president, finance, HR, production, sales and a host of other areas as the students were recognised for their efforts individually and as teams throughout the Junior Achievement year Eight students were also chosen to attend the Next Generation Leaders conference, in Canada.
The event is also used a means to recognise and thank those that make Junior Achievement a success.
“I want to thank the volunteers and our corporate ambassadors, Rotary Central, the Chamber of Commerce, the Cayman Islands Government, and Dart said Mr Paul Byles, President of Junior Achievement”. “The tremendous success of this youth program would not have been possible without their efforts, he added.
But Mr Byles also thanked volunteers and board members for their efforts to grow the program over the years.
“Junior Achievement Cayman Islands has had yet another record breaking year in terms of the number of students participating”, he said to much applause.
“This year we had just under 400 students register for the Company Programme. This is a record number historically. We also had 16 Company Sponsors this year, which is also a historical record. The significance of these numbers is that the program continues to grow and therefore impact many students each year”, he added.
One of the highlights of this JA year was the introduction of the Entrepreneur's forum which was hosted at UCCI venue and we also introduced a Video Challenge which was another fun way for the youth to get engaged and develop their team building and other skills.
He congratulated the students for their various achievements throughout the year and encouraged them to share their positive experiences with their peers.
This year’s keynote speaker was Ms Kadi Merren- Pentney the current YCLA recipient who gave an inspirational speech on pursuing your dream.
This year’s Junior Achievement awards were:
President of the year – Jonathan Rankine and Beatriz Bueno-Dorea
Vice President of the year -
Finance – Bianca Meghoo
Human Resources- Britteny Bodden
Marketing- Ethan Watler and Brielle Watler
Production – Casseidy Davis-Quintero
Public Relations- Marika Scotland and Chanelle Scott
Sales Person of the Year- Kaihana Ross and Kiara McLaughlin
Company of the year - Sokatra Sponsored by Dart
Product of the year – ReStycle Sponsored by UBS
Most Promising Male Achiever – Andre Jennings
Most Promising Female Achiever – Giezis Carbajal-Mejia
Rotary Presidential Award-Vumi Dube (JA Advisor)