The recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Youth Award for Excellence.
BELAIR--Four teenagers were awarded the Governor’s Youth Award for Excellence in a ceremony at Belair Community Center on Tuesday evening, having been chosen for their outstanding contributions in environmental protection, academics and the arts.
Sara Bharwani won the award in the category of environmental protection. As the founder of the Breathe Better Air initiative, she is a known local champion of environmental sustainability and has used expos and fairs to promote her activism.
Bharwani can also boast some recent major success, as she has helped advocate for legislation banning single-use plastics, which was subsequently passed by Parliament on November 3.
Nigel Alexander Adriana won an award for academics. A naturally gifted student, Adriana has excelled at both primary and secondary school. He was one of the top pupils in the Foundation-Based Education (FBE) Exit Examinations in May 2014, coming jointly first in English and being tied for fourth overall out of 617 pupils.
He placed on the 2019 merit list for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, coming eighth in social studies and being one of only three St. Maarten students to achieve a merit list nod. This list comprises the top 10 students in every subject from among 122,813 candidates who sat the regional examination in May/June that year.
Riya Baharani Khemchandi of Learning Unlimited (LU) Preparatory School took home the other award for academics, while dancer Ray-Angel Clarence Antrobus Boasman was awarded for his contribution to the arts.
The Governor’s Youth Award for Excellence recognises youth between 13 and 19 years of age who have demonstrated excellence in academics, sport, arts, environmental protection or community service. The recipients were selected by a panel of judges headed by Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet.
“Coming to a recommendation and selecting the winners for the categories had its challenges, because all the finalists were deserving,” said Governor Eugene Holiday in a speech given during the official ceremony.
“To all the nominees, whether you receive the award or not, I wish to remind you that excellence is a mindset of continued improvement at whatever you do, because improvement is the key to your growth and the progress of our community and our country,” he said.
No awards were handed out for sport or community service because no one was nominated for those categories.
“My reason for introducing the Governor’s Youth Award for Excellence is based on my belief that excellence drives durable progress. The future progress of St. Maarten therefore calls for us to invest in cultivating a mindset of excellence among our young people, and in doing so, create a strong foundation for the building of St. Maarten’s future,” said Holiday.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel – both of whom attended the ceremony – congratulated the winners, as well as their family and friends.
