Proud of Them Round 10 Bios (5): Dominic Owens, Jillian Crooks

Dominic Owens – Academics

Dominic Owens is a 2017 honours graduate of St. Ignatius School where he obtained 10 I/GCSE passes consisting of A*, A’s and two B’s in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Accounting, ICT, English Language, French, Religious Studies, and English Literature. At his High School graduation, he received awards for Highest Attainment in Mathematics and Accounting as well as the Dart Award for Excellence in STEM and the KPMG award for Excellence in Accounting. The 17-year old George Town native is currently pursuing A-levels in Mathematics, Physics, Accounting and Computer Science with a goal to study Accounting or Finance at the London School of Economics and ultimately embark on a career in Accounting and/or Finance. 

Dominic is consistently described by his teachers as conscientious, helpful, polite, enthusiastic, hardworking, engaging and punctual. As a prefect he takes an active role in school life, and is a role model, setting a positive example for both his peers and the younger students in the school. Dominic not only excels academically but is also involved in various extra-curricular activities, which makes him an attractive university candidate. 

He has been the captain of his football team, Academy Sports Club, at the U12, U13, U15 and U17 levels locally and overseas as well as the vice-captain and captain of the St. Ignatius U18 team for the past two years. Additionally, he captained the U13 and U15 Cayman national football teams with the latter touring Guadeloupe, and was selected for trials at UK football clubs in 2015. He has also been a member of the U17 Cayman national football team. He has also been a member of the School Council, Chess Club, Builders Club and Art Club over his school career and participated in the KPMG Brain Bowl Tournament, as well as the Dart Minds Inspired Math Challenge which he won at the age of 13.

His interest in STEM-related subjects have resulted in him becoming a mentor to his peers and taking part each year in the annual SeaPerch Challenge, an innovative underwater robotics programme hosted by the DART Minds Inspired initiative. As a participant in the Junior Achievement Company Programme, Dominic had an opportunity to experience the ins and outs of running a business as Vice President of Finance of Tropical Transformations Ltd., a company that sold mason jar lanterns. His main responsibility was to prepare financial statements based on the purchases and sales made on the product and the expenses incurred throughout the programme. He is a second degree black-belt (Nidan) and previously instructed younger students of the CASK programme. In his free time, he likes to coach younger children in football and also enjoys reading.

Jillian Crooks – Sports 12-year old

Jillian Crooks from George Town is making waves in the sport of swimming. Although she has participated in several sports, including synchronized swimming, open water swimming, netball and karate, it is in competitive swimming that she has displayed exceptional talent. Jillian started swimming at the age of three with classes provided by mobile swim instructors. However, her breakthrough came when she joined the “Learn to Swim” programme at the Camana Bay Aquatic Club. 

She was coached by Mr. Caleb Miller who ensured that her technical training was strong, and on 15 March 2014 at age eight, she participated in her first competitive swim meet. It was at age 10 that she began to discover the level of hard work and discipline that competitive swimming required and started to swim some personal best times. Jillian has competed in several local and overseas meets and is gaining the experience while enjoying the sport. She has achieved several Age Group High Point Awards, Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association and Cayman National Records.

In January 2018, she represented the Cayman Islands at the 2018 UANA Swimming Cup in Coral Springs, Florida. This meet provided the opportunity for her to learn more about the ins and outs of international swim competitions which featured some of the best in region. Jillian was also a member of the 2018 CARIFTA Swim Team and represented the Cayman Islands in Jamaica where she won five individual medals – four bronze and one silver medal. She also represented the Cayman Islands at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) in Aruba in July 2018, where she won nine individual medals and one with the Cayman Islands mixed relay team in the 11 to 12-year-old division. For her stellar performance she was recognised as CNB’s Athlete of the Week by Cayman 27. As she grows both physically and in the sport of swimming, Jillian is expected to continue to make the Cayman Islands proud.