‘You have to make a difference’

Jahmone Madden, the 15-year-old Roxborough Secondary School student who last month won the Tourism Youth Forum and Junior Secretary Competition – and earned as his prize the title of Junior Secretary of Tourism, Culture, and Transportation for a year – says this position has given him an opportunity to “inspire others.”

Madden said the role is demanding but he is encouraging Tobago’s youth to join as many clubs as possible.

“You never know where it may take you,” he said.

Madden said many people may not have expected a student from Roxborough to win the competition, but expectations don’t determine success.

“No matter the school you go, you have to make a difference. Just do the best you can. It’s not the school, it’s the student and what the student wants to accomplish,” he said.

Students from seven secondary school s— Pentecostal Light and Life Foundation, Speyside High, Scarborough Secondary, Signal Hill Secondary, Roxborough Secondary, Goodwood High and Mason Hall Secondary—participated in the competition.

Madden’s activities for the year will involve promoting tourism among the youth. From October 2-5, he will represent this country at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation's State of the Tourism Industry Youth Congress in the Bahamas.

The event will feature Junior Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism from across the region.