Eleven-year-old Johnessa Harrigan, a Campus B student at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, was a finalist in the 2007 “My Caribbean Essay Competition”.
She was among 28 primary school students in the member territories of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) who entered the competition, now in its 15th year and sponsored by Conde Nast Traveler in New York.

Student, Johnessa with dad at left and Tourism Officials

When Johnessa entered the competition she was a student at the Stoney Ground Primary School. It was only now since she is attending the Comprehensive School that the results of the competition were announced.

The topic of the essay competition was “If I were a Minister of Tourism what would I do to bring tourists and nationals on the island closer together.” Johnessa’s father, John Harrigan, accompanied her at the October 21-24 CTO Conference in Puerto Rico where the announcement of the results of the competition was made.

“She drafted the essay and then I helped her to fine-tune the wording. “The experience was for both the finalists and the chaperones,” said Johnessa’s father who is the Deputy Postmaster General with responsibility for operations. “It was very interesting in that the children and the adults bonded very quickly. The experience was educational, rewarding and socially fulfilling.”

Gina Brooks, Deputy Director, Product Development with the Anguilla Tourist Board, said Johnessa was among five Anguillian students whose essays were sent to the CTO office in Barbados for judging in addition to those from the other islands. That office selected one finalist from each island to compete for the overall winner.

The student eventually adjudged overall winner by Conde Nast Head Office is John Rickards of St. Vincent & The Grenadines. His award is a US$2,000 scholarship. Two further scholarships of US$500 each were also awarded to the runners-up. The winning essay will be published in the January “Gold List” issue of Conde Nast Traveller.

Johnessa and her father, like all the other finalists and chaperones, were given an-all-expenses-paid trip to Puerto Rico for the CTO Conference and various related activities. “What they get is the experience, education and other social benefits from attending and participating in the varied events,” Ms Brooks stated.

She is encouraging all students between the ages of 9 and 11 years to participate in the 2008 “My Caribbean Essay Competition.”

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