Dear Members and Friends,
Greetings.
In 2018, the Jamaica College Old Boys of New York of New York (JCOBA-NY) took another meaningful step in advancing one of our primary missions to provide assistance and create opportunities for the under-resourced and under-served youth population of Jamaica; and further, to inspire future science and technology leaders by mobilizing resources to enable Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Robotics development in Jamaica.
We are extremely grateful to our fantastic sponsors and partners whom have been consummate and reliable supporters of some very significant initiatives in 2018, including:
Hosting the inaugural Jamaica STEM Leadership Forum in collaboration with the Consulate General of Jamaica
Hosting the 2nd Annual Griffin Awards, celebrating the accomplishments of several deserving advocates for Jamaica
Providing two Griffin Awards STEM Scholarships (GAS$) to Jamaican students pursuing accredited undergraduate degrees in a STEM discipline
Supporting the extraordinarily successful campaign of the JC Robotics Team that advanced to its fourth World Championship in nine years of competition
Providing resources to support several Jamaica College (JC) education and sports teams’ engagements – among them, the United Nations Club Debate Team, the Penn Relays Track and Field team as well as the Football and Golf teams participation in various age group competitions
Donating 150 fully-equipped desktop computers; 2 Laptops; 12 printers and a wide array of digital media equipment
Coordinating resources for a financially-challenged JC student to receive complimentary life-saving open heart surgery in the US, as well as providing digital tools to help advance the academic process
Securing the Caribbean’s first Affiliate Partnership agreement with FIRST, one of the premier organizations inspiring youth in robotics globally
Partnership clears the path for Jamaica to host the first FTC-sanctioned National High School Robotics Championships in the Caribbean in March 2019 – with the winner advancing directly to the World Championships
In addition, we have forged a highly significant partnership with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, the Jamaica College Foundation and the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organization, the preeminent force behind global youth robotics, in expanding our Association’s mission to help drive a significant workforce initiative of national importance that is expected to impact the lives of more than 30,000 students across the Jamaican school system landscape in support of Jamaica’s Vision 2030 — also known as 30-for-30.
While we are proud of these accomplishments over the past year, we recognize that there is much more work ahead and are fully committed to embracing the challenge ahead. We look forward for the continued support of our sponsors, partners, alumnus (Old Boys network), the JCOBA-NY executive team and Advisory Board to help in driving our mission ahead.
Let’s continue to build Jamaica.
Floreat Collegium, Fervet Opus in Campis! May the College Flourish, Work is Burning in the Field!
Carl Bennett
PRESIDENT