GraceKennedy names Birthright interns for 2019
GraceKennedy Limited (GKL) announced late last week that it will host four university students from the USA, UK and Canada for a five-week professional and cultural internship in Jamaica, from June 28 to August 7, 2019.
The four are Kayla Jessup and Tarik Graham, of the University of Chicago and Harvard University in the USA, respectively; Sapphira Thompson-Bled of the University of Ottawa, Canada; and Callum McCarthy of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
The internship — GraceKennedy Jamaican Birthright Internship Programme — allows the interns to work at a GraceKennedy subsidiary linked to their career interests. It is also intended to expose the students to various facets of Jamaica’s culture and will, therefore, facilitate tours to different parts of the island on weekends.
“GraceKennedy is committed to the cultural and professional development of these students, some of whom have never visited Jamaica before. Experiencing the dynamics of their parents or grandparents’ culture first-hand helps to foster a strong connection between Jamaica and the diaspora and empowers these young people to think differently about themselves, their heritage, and their contribution to building Jamaica,” said Caroline Mahfood, executive director of the GraceKennedy Foundation.
In hosting the students, GraceKennedy Limited partners with several public and private sector entities which have a vested interest in nation building.
“GraceKennedy’s subsidiaries, along with the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Caribbean Airlines, Go Jamaica Travel, Island Car Rentals, Dolphin Cove, FLOW Jamaica, Island Grill, Domino’s and Wendy’s, will all play an active role to ensure that the selected candidates have a well-rounded Jamaican experience,” Mahfood explained.
The GraceKennedy Jamaican Birthright Internship Programme, which ran from 2004 to 2008, was revived in 2015. The internship is offered annually to four university students in the diaspora who are passionate about their Jamaican heritage.
