TEENage Observer is proud to say that one of our own Yunique Francis was recently awarded top honours for her essay in the Eric Williams ‘School Bags’ Essay Competition.

Francis recently flew off to the twin island republic Trinidad and Tobago to represent Jamaica at the 13th staging of the essay competition that was hosted by Professor Dyer Narinesingh, acting principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus, Trinidad and Tobago, and Her Excellency Sharon Saunders, High Commissioner for Jamaica in Trinidad and Tobago.

This essay competition which is organised by The Eric Williams Memorial Collection (EWMC) is open to all final-year sixth formers.

Impressively, the competition this year attracted a 40 per cent increase in participation from 178 schools, across 17 Caribbean countries. Several schools that weren’t represented in this competition in previous years, such as Guyana and Barbados, were now included in this impressive increase of entries.

The topic this year was ‘The Cuban Revolution, 1959-2009: Discuss its successes and failures. What relevance do these have for today’s student?’

For being named the winner of the essay competition, Francis won a four-day trip for two to Trinidad and Tobago with airfare, hotel accommodation; a tour of the Eric Williams Memorial Collection (EWMC) at the UWI, St Augustine Campus; a US $1,000 education voucher; courtesy calls on the president of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the speaker of the House of Representatives; a tour of Parliament; a set of Eric Williams’ books; a framed certificate and a 2010 African American Black History Calendar.

Also, Francis who participated in numerous interviews with BBC and the president of Trinidad and Tobago, George Richards, as well as the deputy leader House of Representative Dr Fuad Knan.

Francis will enjoy more recognition as her essay will be published in the Caricom newsletter, the University of the West Indies newspaper and the Miami Herald newspaper.

Other winners in the competition were Sharifa Ammon, second-place winner from Bishop Anstey High School in Port of Spain, and Andrew M Ali, of Hillview College, who placed third.