14 STUDENTS VYING FOR JR. MINISTER OF TOURISM 2018

Anticipation is escalating as 14 Junior Directors of Tourism from around The Bahamas prepare to compete in the Annual Junior Minister of Tourism Speech Competition on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at Superclubs Breezes Resort.

In its sixteenth year, the Junior Minister of Tourism Program was designed to promote awareness of the importance of tourism among high school students and to motivate our youth to pursue careers in the country’s number one industry. The overarching goal of the program is to generate a sustainable talent pool of young professionals to service our tourism industry.

Samantha Cartwright, National Coordinator of the Junior Minister of Tourism Program, said each year she sees new energy and she is reminded that the future is bright.

“Every year, we see new energy, enthusiasm and passion for country in the competitors. The country allows us to see the future of tourism and expose young people to the opportunities available in the sector and to let them know there’s a place for everyone in the industry. The tourism workforce and the future of tourism are secure with this generation of leaders,” she said.

The 14 students were selected from Abaco, Acklins, Andros, Berry Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Long Island, New Providence and San Salvador in a three-phase competition with the  final phase being a highly anticipated speech competition. The initial phases of the competition consisted of interviews and speech preliminaries.

Each of the 14 finalists will be given three to five minutes to speak on the topic, “Sustainable Tourism: A Nation’s Plan After the Storm.”

In addition to the prepared topic, a “mystery” question will be presented at the competition and finalists will have one minute to give a response.

Winners will be chosen based on 60 percent score from the speeches and 40 percent from the mystery topic.

The winner of this year’s competition will succeed St. Anne’s student and second-place winner of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Congress Jr Minister of Tourism, Michael Wallace.

The 2017 Junior Directors of Tourism are as follows:

Khalea Richard                  Forest Heights Academy                                    Abaco

Stephenique Rose                        Acklins Central High School                  Acklins

Chont’ Nae Nixon             Huntley Christie High School                 Andros

Annjoeleana Darville      R.N. Gomez All Age School                    Berry Islands

Aisha Grant                         Gateway Christian Academy               Bimini

Nejeeba Campbell          Arthur’s Town High School                      Cat Island

Carlesa Rose                       Admiral Ferguson Sr. High                       Crooked Island

Orianna Carey                    Preston H. Albury High School               Eleuthera

Edrinique Morton               L.N. Coakley Senior High School          Exuma

Ketora Clarke                     Eight Mile Rock High School                  Grand Bahama

Luke Knowles                      N.G.M. Major High School                      Long Island

Vethajhanique Robins     Abraham’s Bay High School                  Mayaguana

Charles Hamilton Jr.         St. Anne’s School                                      New Providence

Laneaka Storr                     San Salvador High School                     San Salvador

The prizes for the winner, 2nd place and 3rd place are as follows:

Winner: Patrick S. Bain Scholarship (tenable at the University of The Bahamas), an entry in CTO Youth Congress held in The Bahamas, $500.00 cash prize and a trophy. The winner’s school also receives $500.00 and a floating trophy.

2nd Place: $300 cash prize and a trophy. The school also receives $300 and a plaque.

3rd Place: $200.00 cash prize and a trophy. The school also receives $200 and a plaque.