“My humble, down-to-earth character and naturally caring personality allow me to connect with people of all walks of life without prejudice”. This is one of the ways that this remarkable SMCP candidate describes herself.
Tswana was born in the Netherlands but as a toddler she moved to Aruba with her father where she completed her secondary education. The year 1995 was a turn-around year for her. It was the year that Hurricane Luis devastated many of the islands in the Caribbean, particularly Sint Maarten.
Having many friends of her childhood in San Nicolas who originated from Sint Maarten, whose families had lost their livelihood, Tswana got permission from her dad to move to Sint Maarten to assist her friends. Tswana fell immediately in love with Sint Maarten and decided there and then to make Sint Maarten her home.
Being ambitious, disciplined and people-minded, Tswana has always been on the lookout for new opportunities. What she has been able to accomplish during her 23 years of living on Sint Maarten is nothing but remarkable.
Her first job on Sint Maarten was at Xerox, today known as Obersi Electronics. Notary Speetjens noticed her work zeal and ethics at Obersi and eventually invited her to work for his notary firm. While at Speetjens, she seriously considered studying law. But since she also enjoyed dealing with numbers and problem-solving situations, she pursued a bachelor’s study in Finance, Economics and Business Management from the Netherlands via correspondence courses, which was a major feat in itself.
This degree opened many doors for her in the job market. After some years at the Notary Public, Tswana was asked to join the team at the Offshore Trust company industry where her main responsibility was dealing with the Financial Administration. After five years, Tswana got a breakthrough in the tourism industry. She incorporated a Luxury Mega Motor & Sailing Yacht company, which was affiliated with a company in Florida.
After several years in the tourist industry Tswana then entered the civil service where she first worked in the Ministry of Finance, then in the Ministry of Justice, and subsequently at the Council of Advice, one of our High Councils of State.
As a citizen Tswana believes that one must be involved. She has participated in cultural events, organized by Urmaine Dormoy. She has also volunteered her time to assist the youth. As a trained PADI Rescue scuba diver instructor, she co-founded a Swim, Snorkel and Scuba Dive foundation that provides free swimming and diving courses to particularly young persons during the off season.
As a qualified mentor she works with several of the foster care homes on Sint Maarten as a volunteer mentor. Tswana is also the Treasurer of the Board of the VKS.
Tswana is multi-lingual. She speaks Dutch, Papiamentu, Spanish and English fluently and can also help herself in French and Sranang Tongo. Her foundational principles are justice, faith and loyalty. She often refers herself as being a committed humanitarian, which is evident in the way she relates to people and in the volunteer work which she has committed herself to.
SMCP is proud to present Tswana Nunes-Burleson as its #7 candidate on the SMCP slate. She has been working as policy advisor in the SMCP faction office. With her qualifications, her experience and knowledge gained over the years, as well as having functioned in the faction office, the SMCP is confident that Tswana is well prepared and capable for the job of Parliamentarian.
Wycliffe Smith
Leader of SMCP
