NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (October 18, 2024) – Fourteen exceptional students from Nevis have been honored with the prestigious Girl of Excellence Award during a recently-held special ceremony in celebration of International Day of the Girl-Child.
The awards, presented by the Department of Gender Affairs in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), recognized one student from each primary and secondary school on the island.
The event, chaired by Catherine Forbes of the Department of Gender Affairs, was themed “Girls’ Vision for the Future.” This theme highlights the role of girls as leaders, change-makers, and drivers of growth around the world. The ceremony emphasized the importance of supporting the work, activism, and leadership of girls, and empowering them as a source of transformational change for gender equality.
“We must continue to protect and empower them,” the ceremony’s chairperson said. “By actively investing in our girls’ future we are investing in our own future. Let us pledge today to continue to support and encourage all girls to aspire for greatness, whether in sports, academics, volunteerism, or any field they are passionate about.”
The 2024 Girl of Excellence Award recipients are as follows:
Avanya Nisbet – Maude Crosse Preparatory School
Shanita Roberts – Violet O. Jeffers-Nichols Primary School
Zakiyah Stapleton – Elizabeth Pemberton Primary School
Zhaurena Elliott – Montessori Academy
T’Shaunte Thomas – Cecele Brown Integrated School
Dekirah Lake – Charlestown Primary School
Kylie Wilkin – Ivor Walters Primary School
Ajaenique Walters – St. Thomas’ Primary School
Kervinique Liburd – Nevis Academy
Taji’nae Somersall – Joycelyn Liburd Primary School
Acarleigha Hermon – St. James’ Primary School
Zaecaria Pemberton – Nevis International Secondary School
Shévonne Daniel – Charlestown Secondary School
La-Tavia Powell – Gingerland Secondary School
These awards were presented by Deputy Governor-General, Her Honour Hyleeta Liburd, Minister of Gender Affairs, the Honourable Jahnel Nisbett, and Permanent Secretary Shelissa Martin-Clarke.
“This award is not named the Good Girl Award or the Okay Girl Award,” Minister Nisbett stated. “It is the Girl of Excellence Award. This is the highest level that you can be. You 14 individuals represent the best of the best across all of our primary and secondary schools on Nevis. You are naturally excellent young ladies who contribute to your communities, schools, and families, and we are here to celebrate you.”
Roger Fyfield and Patricia Claxton, members of the Girls’ Mentorship Programme Board of Directors, read the profiles of the awardees, while Neila Jones, also a member of the Board, delivered an inspiring keynote address. Remarks were made by Londa Brown, Principal Education Officer. The ceremony was further enriched with entertainment by Keyana Warner and the Rhythms of the Arts Dance Ensemble.
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