Diaspora interns reflect on Jamaican experience
FOUR students from the Jamaican diaspora who were given an opportunity to participate in GraceKennedy’s 2024 Jamaican Birthright internship programme described their six-week experience as life changing while vowing to use their opportunity to further contribute to Jamaica’s growth and development in the future.
During the closing ceremony of the Jamaican Birthright Programme held on Friday at the GraceKennedy headquarters, interns Madison Thomas, Romari Smith, Lauren Walcott, and Tariq Brown had nothing but positive words when reflecting on their Jamaican experience.
“The community of Jamaica and witnessing first-hand the power and the value that has, and also this confidence and charisma that Jamaicans have interacting with one another and how I felt so welcome being here for only my second time was truly amazing,” said Romari Smith who is a university student in Toronto, Canada, and spent his time during the internship working in the marketing and sales department at GraceKennedy. He said the vibrant Jamaican spirit alongside unique ways of interacting are two things he would like to implement in his field when he returns to Canada, noting that this taught him new ways to develop relationships with customers.
“I want to sort of take that back with me to Canada to be able to see how that could carry over into the business world of things with building relationships with your retail clients and being able to establish trust and loyalty with those same clients,” Smith said.
As it relates to learning more about the significance of Jamaica’s historical and cultural background, graduate from the University of Sussex in England, Tariq Brown, said learning about the colonial background of Jamaica was an eye-opening experience due to his prior limited knowledge on Jamaica’s culture.
“Growing up in the UK and being far away from Caribbean culture in itself, it was nice to see the depth that exists, whether it be the history, the heritage or the people, the charisma, the personality, and the community. These are all things that I feel like a lot of communities in the UK are starving for and I think there is an identity crisis within the diaspora, so being able to come here and see my role in Jamaica’s future is lovely to see,” Brown expressed.
He noted that during his stay, he enjoyed the opportunity to play football every Tuesday at the football factory on Shortwood Road while being able to interact with other Jamaicans who share a similar love for the sport, but from a different perspective.
Additionally, third-year student at Pomona College in California, Madison Thomas, explained that she enjoyed learning about Jamaica’s financial structure and economic background which she said will play a big role in her career going forward.
“My biggest takeaway from this experience is that there is so much untapped potential in the Jamaican finance sector. We are giving people more opportunities to invest in equities and bonds and also mutual funds and my most enjoyable experience was definitely visiting Frenchman Cove to see where the river and the beach meet, as well as just taking in all the nature that surrounded me,” she said.
For her part, recent graduate at North Western University in Chicago, Lauren Walcott, said while she was not very confident at the start, she acknowledged that the six-week journey completely changed her perspective on Jamaica based on her experiences. She said working with the scholarship shortlisting department at GraceKennedy allowed her to meet and interact with young and innovative Jamaicans which played an major part in changing her perspective.
State minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge praised the Jamaica Birthright programme and its continued role in promoting cultural exchange among local Jamaicans and those from the diaspora.
“For over two decades, going right back to 2004, the GraceKennedy Foundation has demonstrated sustained commitment and provided funding, empowering more than 50 interns. It is vital that our young kings and queens are not just mere observers but integral architects of our social, economic and political landscape. Your presence is not only felt but also deeply valued, recognising that your contributions are indispensable to a collective well-being and most importantly to the promise of our future,” he said.