Went is local winner of the FCCA’s junior essay competition

Xavier Went is the winner of the local aspect of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Member Lines’ Junior Essay Competition on the topic, How can my country and cruise lines work together for more sustainable cruise calls?

The announcement was made at the presentation of awards on Wednesday at the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport in Warrens.

Went, who entered the competition while at St Lawrence Primary School and is now a student at The St Michael School, won a cruise voucher for two. His entry was submitted for the FCCA’s Junior Division Regional Essay Competition, as the winner of the local junior essay competition. In that competition, he placed third and was awarded a tablet. In recognition of his outstanding performance, St Lawrence Primary was awarded US$1 000.

Speaking on his first and third-place positions, he said: “It feels exhilarating as I wasn’t expecting to come third. I only expected to come first in the juniors, but I wasn’t expecting to come third in the regional.”

Mercedes Morris, a student of Queen’s College, who entered the competition while she was at the Imperial Private School, placed second in the local junior competition. She was awarded a staycation for two.

“I’m really grateful and happy that I won a prize,” she said. “It’s a really big achievement; it’s second out of the entire Barbados, so I’m really happy.”

The top three places in the senior division of the local essay competition went to Shamario Walkes of the Alexandra School; Nevaeh Holder of Queen’s College; and Malik Straker of the Lester Vaughan School, respectively. Walkes was awarded a cruise voucher for two; Holder got a staycation for two; and Straker received a day pass for two.

Holder said she was “extremely excited and happy to have come second in this competition because I wasn’t actually expecting to place…so I’m just grateful to be here”.

She and Went encouraged their peers to participate in the competition next year, advising students entering to do their research on the topic thoroughly to gain a holistic view and use personal experiences in their essays.

Speaking about the importance of the essay competition, Minister of Tourism Ian Gooding-Edghill said it represents the first steps of engagement with some of the island’s future tourism practitioners who will steer future innovations and influence positive change within the sector.

“Since 1995, Barbadian students have benefited from their participation in the FCCA’s Essay Competition. The initiative is part of the FCCA’s developmental programming to further the educational development of students around the Caribbean. This essay competition has been a critical starting point for young people to gain knowledge about the importance of cruise tourism, its benefits, and of course, the pertinent issues affecting our cruise industry,” he said.

“It also provides the opportunity for us to hear from young people, and again, from their perspectives regarding sustainable tourism expansion. Furthermore, it’s always enlightening when they express what measures can be put in place to enhance the visitor experience,” he added.

The minister thanked all the students who participated in the competition and extended congratulations to all winners “on a job well done”. (BGIS/BT)