The Girls’ High School (GHS) topped this year’s edition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce essay and writing competition with Milan Compton and Ajani Dyer winning in their categories.

Compton took the top spot in the Ambassadors category with her essay on “Vincentian citizenship cannot be bought or sold” while Dyer won in the Envoys category with her piece on “What are the benefits of social media to business and trade development?”

The Ambassadors category was for the age group 14 to 18 while the Envoys category was for the age group nine to 13.

(left to right)Ajani Dyer placed first, Jhamari Henry placed second and Jodee Glasgow placed third in the Envoys category at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce essay and writing competition

Last Friday May 21, the two, along with several other students were rewarded with cash and cellular devices during the prize giving ceremony which was held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce’s conference room.

Students in the Ambassadors category were asked to choose from three topics, “CSME: Is it working?”; “In your view, how can the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) develop strategic action plans to address the future of Climate Change within Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as SVG?” and “Vincentian citizenship cannot be bought or sold”.

The students from the Envoys category were asked to present essays on “What are the benefits of social media to business and trade development”, “A day in the life: Imagine you are your country’s foreign minister for a day, which countries will you build a relationship with and why?” and “An essential document for travel is the passport. Explain why it is necessary to have a passport.”

Second in the Ambassadors category was GHS student Mikayla Friday while third place went to the St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Community College’s (SVGCC) Cimalon Alexander. Fourth place was the GHS’s Zuania Baptiste while fifth was Aaliyah Henry of the SVGCC.

The Envoys category saw in second place, the Lowmans Leeward Primary School’s Jhamari Henry while third place went to the Bishop’s College Kingstown’s (BCK) Jodee Glasgow. In fourth place was Jair Patrick of the St Vincent Grammar School (SVGS) while fifth was the Kingstown Preparatory School’s (KPS) Tyler Matthias.

Speaking at the prize giving ceremony, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce Sandy Peters-Phillips said when they reviewed the essays, they were pleased. She said the topics required a lot of research and the students’ work on them no doubt helped to boost their academic portfolio.

Also addressing the prize giving ceremony was Digicel’s Country Manager Fanta Williams. Digicel was the main sponsor of the event. Williams said that the writing was articulate, clear and cogent and she was impressed with the quality of work produced by students.

“The quality of education in this country is exemplary,” said Williams who said that in her opinion, many teachers are passionate about their work and it shows in the students.

She said that Digicel is pleased to be able to help fuel and amplify the education system through their tangible donations.

“We need young voices to carry the torch for the future of this country,” Williams commented.

The event also heard from Minister of National Mobilisation, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth Frederick Stephenson and Senior Foreign Service Officer Tamira Browne.
The winning pieces have been published in a Ministry of Foreign Affairs diplomatic courier special edition document. The document is described as an anthology showcasing the perspectives of young Vincentians on topics related to trade, bilateral, regional, multilateral diplomacy and consular affairs.