THE 12 Jamaican students who participated in the “Seeds for the Future 2020” hosted by telecom giants Huawei Jamaica have been applauded for their impressive display during the week-long virtual programme,

Last month Huawei Jamaica kick started its Seeds for the Future programme, accommodating 12 students from The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech,Ja) to study with the company, virtually, for a week.

This programme offered the students the opportunity to learn more about the information and communications technology (ICT) industry while giving them the best cultural experience they could receive from a social distance.

The company conducted a closing ceremony via Zoom to praise the students for their participation

“I would like to say congratulations to our young talents as we always say that you are the brightest seeds for the future. I hope that in the past one-week study, you’ve gained new knowledge, new experiences and new friends” said vice-president of Public Affairs and Communications of Huawei Central America and Caribbean Region Allen Chen.

He noted that Huawei believes that the knowledge acquired from this experience will be applicable in the participant’s future careers and that the students will be given the opportunity to receive internships and opportunities to also be a part of Huawei, if they choose.

The top performing Jamaican students were Jheanel Brown, Swayne James, and Phillip Llewllyn and they were given the chance to express their views on the programme.

“First, I’d like to say thank you to Huawei. This has been an exceptional experience. In 2020, sometimes you lose hope about what the future may hold but I think in this programme, having the opportunity to learn so much, has been just an eye-opening experience,” said Brown, who was selected as the top performer.

“It gave me that feeling that I can do more and that next year will be great, upon receiving all this knowledge, to use in my country and personal projects. I think I can speak for everyone when I say this has been an incredible learning experience, being taught things from the 5G network to the language, Mandarin,” added Brown.

James was equally grateful for the opportunity.

“This experience has widened both my cultural and intellectual horizons and I hope to continue supporting this programme in the future and invite others to do the same as well,” said James, who is a student of The UWI.

In the meantime, Llewllyn described the week-long programme as exciting.

“I have learnt a lot about AI (artificial intelligence) and 5G, which was really insightful for me along with being able to communicate with other participants from other countries,” declared Llewllyn.

The ceremony was closed with a piece from the students showcasing their Jamaican culture, educating and enlightening officials of Huawei.