Jaida Victor , a first year student pursuing an associate degree in Building Construction Technology in the School of Applied Arts and Technology at the T. A. Marryshow Community College was announced the second place winner in the age 17 – 19 category of the 2025 ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Essay Writing Competition hosted and sponsored by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU).
The 2025 competition focused on essay writing, and required students to pen essays on one of three topics:
(i) F i n a n c i a l Education should be a mandatory subject in all primary and secondary schools;
(ii) Following the success of Eastern Caribbean athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympic in Paris, sports should be leveraged as a means to help deter criminal activity, drive economic growth and enhance national pride among the youth; and
(iii) How can the OECS reform its education system to foster creativity across all disciplines?
Her essay topic was “Financial Education should be a mandatory subject in all primary and secondary schools” which was attempted by all participants who secured the top three spots. Thirty-six students submitted entries for the 17-19 category. The winners of the 2025 Creative Youth Competition, their schools and mentor teachers will receive monetary prizes totaling EC$13,000.
Speaking on what the experience taught her Jaida said, “I’ve learned that opportunities rarely come at the perfect moment but when they do you should not let them pass by.” She continued, “Although I was extremely occupied for the duration of the competition, I found it within me to try, and not let temporary comfort get in the way. I learnt that you can’t achieve anything meaningful without getting out of your comfort zone.”
TAMCC extends congratulations to Jaida on her achievement and urges her to continue stepping outside of her comfort zone and excelling.