Minister of Education and Youth, Maxine
Henry Wilson has urged Jamaican students attending
universities in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
to promote the positive values of their homeland.
"Jamaicans do have a legacy of positive contributions
and I call upon you to reinforce these values," she
stressed.
The Minister was addressing more than 200 students
from 19 universities and colleges at a student reception
hosted by the Jamaican Embassy on
October 28, at the Organization of American States
(OAS) Museum of the Americas.
"A lot that is Jamaican is good, and a lot
that is Jamaican is the energy that will take our
country forward," Mrs. Henry Wilson said.
The Minister said there were Jamaicans residing
overseas who rejected some of those values and some
who upheld them, and emphasized that countries which
were able to make their mark in the world, did so
by innovation and change, which made a difference
in terms of how they are perceived.
"We are not going to be able to import from
other countries what they have in terms of their
lifestyles and values, but what we as Jamaicans can
do residing overseas, is to validate some of what
is Jamaican and to validate what is Jamaican and
make them able to withstand global scrutiny," the
Minister noted.
"We cannot, as Jamaicans, separate ourselves
from what is happening in the world, but in the end
we have to ensure that Jamaica has a name that makes
us proud wherever we go," Mrs. Henry Wilson
added.
The Minister appealed to the students that when
they graduate, they should consider returning to
Jamaica to contribute to the country's further development.
In his remarks, Jamaica's Ambassador to the United
States, Professor Gordon Shirley noted that the Embassy
had a responsibility to build a relationship with
these students and assist them with any problems
that they might encounter.
He explained that the reception was organized to
give the students an opportunity to air their views,
concerns, and then see how the Embassy, along with
the Jamaica National Association and the wider community,
could offer them more support.
Among the universities from which students came
were: Howard, District of Columbia, American, George
Mason, Bowie State, Georgetown, Maryland, Morgan
State, and Montgomery College.
Among those attending the reception were: Dr. Joseph
Whittaker, Dean and Professor, School of Computer
Mathematics and Natural Science, Morgan State University;
Sharon Miller, Deputy Chief of Missions, Jamaican
Embassy; Janet Madden, Community Relations Attache,
Jamaican Embassy, and Claudette Phillips, Executive
Director of the Golden Krust Foundation.
The reception was sponsored by Golden Krust Caribbean
Bakery and Grill.
Derrick
A. Scott
JIS Washington Back
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