Students of the Alleyne School and the Daryl Jordan Secondary School visit the Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama (Credit: Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama)
The Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama hosted students of the Daryll Jordan Secondary School and the Alleyne School, on August 16, 2023. The students visited Panama as part of their Spanish programme. Charge d’Affaires a.i., Ms. Michelle Carter, expressed her pleasure at having the students in that country. She thanked the teachers and parents for broadening the students’ horizons by exposing them to another culture. Ms. Carter also emphasized the importance of setting and pursuing goals in spite of their circumstances and any obstacles placed in their paths.
Mrs. Urenna Best, who is a Panamanian of Barbadian descent, and an international Expert on Women, Afro-descendants, Indigenous People, and the Youth, shared her story with the students. She outlined her journey from selling food on the streets of her native Colon City to becoming an attorney-at-law, a sought after conference speaker and a consultant for Organisations like the United Nations and the Organisation of American States. She stressed the importance of education to the students and doing their best, indicating that this viewpoint helped her to obtain scholarships to study in countries like Switzerland and Norway. Mrs. Best, also gave a history lesson to the students about the Panama Canal and the importance of Colon City to the Panamanian economy. She explained that Colon was the city where the Caribbean workers, including her paternal great-grandparents, that worked on the construction of the Panama Canal settled. The students used the opportunity to engage Mrs. Best in discussion on a number of areas including Climate Change, the Environment, and Development issues and expressed their interest in having her visit Barbados.
Ms. Ashleigh Phillips, Business Development Officer from the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTMI), reminded students of the importance of a foreign language, which she said, helped her to stand out from the crowd. She recalled that, she, too as a student too was taken on a trip to Panama, even staying at the same hotel where the students were currently staying. She encouraged them to pursue their dreams and to think big as the world was their oyster.
The students were treated to a Panamanian lunch of rice and peas and baked chicken among other treats.
Author: Government of Barbados
Source: Embassy of Barbados in the Republic of Panama
