Students of the Convent of Mercy Academy, “Alpha”, recently received a clear and strong charge, ‘Dare to Dream’. The statement came from Natalie Bennett, Senior Product Manager at Google and a past student of Alpha, during a fire-side chat with the girls on careers in the information, communications and technology (ICT) sector.

“Dare to dream. Believe in yourselves!” Bennett declared as she led them in a self-affirmation activity. For two young ladies, Abonique Campbell and Venesa Powell, their dreams were bolstered with the help of the Flow Foundation which surprised them with digital devices at a pop-up at the school on June 4.

Abonique, who received a new Samsung Galaxy A03 smart phone, was delighted at receiving the device which she says will help with her schooling. As the youngest of three children, Abonique shared, “My mother has many things to focus on so I didn’t dwell on not having a phone. However, this will definitely make a difference and help me with my schoolwork as a lot of group work is done using technology.”

Her schoolmate, Venesa, received a new Lenovo laptop, to help support her goals of an ICT career. In October 2022, she was placed on the national CSEC Merit List for Information Technology and describes herself as a “lady in STEM”.

“Being placed on the Merit List was a big surprise and an honour but I worked really hard and my goal was to do well and get a distinction in IT,” she said proudly. Venesa, who previously had to rely on the school’s computers to meet her digital needs, further added, “I view this gift as an opportunity for my education and my future career in cyber security. I really want to thank my teacher for speaking up for me and Flow Foundation for giving me this computer. I truly appreciate it and am just so grateful.”

In speaking on the donation to the girls, Deleen Powell, Manager, Business Communications at Flow, said, “I don’t think that there are words to describe my joy that, as a company, we are able to present these young girls with these well-needed resources. We believe that it is absolutely vital for our students to have access to the resources that will help them to succeed in their chosen careers.”

Powell further stated, “This support underscores and highlights our focus on nurturing an interest in Information and Communication Technology among our young ladies and ensuring they have the right devices at their disposal so they can succeed in the classroom and prepare to pursue careers within the field.”

Flow recently created an immersive experience for over 200 girls from 18 high schools across the country in recognition of Girls in Information, Communication and Technology (GIICT) Day on April 27. The day combined innovation, participation, and inspiration with new and emerging technology, a coding challenge and an impactful keynote address from Natalie Bennett.