GHS dominate ECTEL My ICT Champion’ Reel Contest
FROM LEFT: Rhea Lewis from the NTRC with Bradley Alexander, Josel DaSilva and Leah Nanton
Press Release
August 20, 2024

GHS dominate ECTEL My ICT Champion’ Reel Contest

STUDENTS FROM the St Vincent Girls’ High School have copped all three top positions in one of two age segments of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) My ICT Champion’ Reel Contest, held in observance of Girls in ICT 2024.

This competition was launched on March, 21, 2024, inviting students from secondary, tertiary and vocational schools across ECTEL Contracting States to use their digital skills to showcase a woman ICT leader they admire through a video reel, a release from ECTEL states.

The contest aimed to celebrate and empower young people in ICT, highlighting their creativity, technical prowess, and potential as future leaders in the field, and winners were revealed earlier this month.

Seventeen entries were submitted and judged based on innovation, presentation, and relevance to the theme.

In the 12-15 category, all three winners hailed from the St Vincent Girls’ High School. Leah Nanton secured 1st place, winning EC$1000 plus EC$500 for her school. Kalen Browne earned 2nd place, receiving EC$750; and Josel DaSilva clinched 3rd place, winning EC$500. Meanwhile, Kelly Huang of Dominica Grammar School received EC$250 for the Most Likes component in this category. This was determined by who garnered the most likes on their submission across all ECTEL official social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook,YouTube LinkedIn, and X (Twitter).

In the 16 and over category, Bradley Alexander, the lone male in the contest, from the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College emerged as the winner receiving EC$1000, with an additional EC$500 awarded to the college. Bradley also won EC$250 for the ‘Most Likes’ component in this category. Tonna-Shay Miller from Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) in St. Kitts and Nevis secured 2nd place, winning EC$750. Axyahn Smithen, also from CFBC, achieved 3rd place, winning EC$500.

The judging panel comprised of Janique-ka John from St.Vincent and the Grenadines, a freelance Software Engineer based in Rome; Medisha Augustine-Casimir, a virtual support specialist and Digital Marketer from the Commonwealth of Dominica; and Thea Jerome an intern at ECTEL.The judges, all impressed with the entries, remarked that the submissions were “creative and fun, but also showed the charisma we have among Caribbean students in the region! It’s heart-warming to know that they can identify role models in ICT to look up to”.

ECTEL in its release extended congratulations to all the winners and participants for their outstanding contributions to the field of ICT. It added that the contest “not only highlighted the talent within our schools but also underscored the importance of supporting and encouraging young people, especially girls, in pursuing studies and careers in Information and Communication Technology”, but it “also provided a platform to showcase the many women leaders in ICT across ECTEL’s Contracting States.”

The Directorate also extended thanks the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (NTRCs) of the Commonwealth of Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St.Vincent and the Grenadines for presenting the winners with their prizes on ECTEL’s behalf. Persons may visit @ ectel on Facebook andYou-Tube and @ectelauthority on Instagram and X to view the reels.