Dominique Johnson, president of the Immaculate Conception High School’s Model United Nations Club, has always had a deep passion for cricket.

Growing up in a family where her father, grandfather, and brother all played the sport, Johnson developed a love for the game that went beyond just playing. She would often watch matches involving the West Indies, including at Sabina Park in Kingston. She generally follows the sport with great enthusiasm.

“I used to play cricket for a short time,” Johnson told the Jamaica Observer.

“My dad did, my grandfather as well as my brother all played cricket at some point. I have grown up watching West Indies and growing up coming to Sabina watching the Caribbean Premier League games. I watch all of West Indies matches, women and men. I have grown up with passion for cricket,” the 18-year-old Immaculate upper sixth-form student added.

Johnson’s love for cricket inspired her to take action. She and her friends from the Model United Nations Club decided to organise fund-raising events to support the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA).

They took a diversified approach.

“The first one was a Caribbean Studies workshop on cricket as it is a part of the syllabus on the historical, economic, social and other facets of [the] importance of cricket … to Jamaica and [the] Caribbean at large,” Johnson explained. “Then we did a bake sale which was facilitated by our dean of discipline Ms Bowen and our faculty advisors, Ms Coburn, Ms Swaby, and Mrs Smart also assisted us along the way to make this presentation possible. We also did a small lemonade sale.”

Through their hard work, Johnson said she and her team generated $40,000, which was donated to the JCA to support grass-roots programmes and develop young cricketers. Johnson is proud of their achievement and expressed gratitude to her school administrators, family, and friends for their support.

“I want to also thank the principal, Mrs Stacey Wilson Reynolds, acting principal Mrs Andrea Hitchener, my family for the support, the club, just everybody a part of the administration who had made this possible. We generated $40,000 and I know [JCA President] Dr [Donovan] Bennett and his team will put it to good use in just creating a better nation,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s motivation for supporting cricket goes beyond just her personal passion for the sport. She hopes that her efforts will contribute to the development of cricket in Jamaica and help the country return to its golden era of cricket greatness.

“I am very proud but it is not for me or anybody else,” Johnson said.

“I am glad to gain some recognition for my school; it’s an amazing school, the best school in the island, if you would ask me. I am proud of my country, our national cricket, we have such a rich history of cricketers and I know that West Indian cricket, and Jamaica cricket by extension, can grow from this small act of kindness and we can get back to the stage when we were in our golden era, where we were on top. You know, the Sir Clive, Sir Vivian Richards era, down to today where we have Pooran, Powell, so just that development and interest in the game we can find the next cricket superstars,” she said.