CHARGÉ d’affaires at the United States Embassy in Kingston Scott Renner on Thursday urged students to seriously examine the possibility of doing their tertiary education outside of Jamaica.

Renner made the call during his address to scores of students from schools across the island who turned out for the 2026 staging of the EducationUSA College Fair at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

The fair, which was hosted by the United States Embassy in Kingston, formed part of a five-country regional tour that includes The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana.

It brought together Jamaican students, parents, educators, and school administrators to connect with representatives of more than 20 leading US colleges and universities, and allowed students to consult with embassy officials for accurate, first-hand guidance on student visa processes, application essay preparation, and US Government-sponsored exchange programmes.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer during the function, Renner argued that students should first explore their options before making a decision on tertiary education.

“I think 17 years old is pretty young to say, ‘Here’s exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life’.

So…although they should have a focus, think, ‘OK, here’s some areas I want to do, let me find out if there are classes I need to take, or schools that are better or worse for that’.

But I really encourage them to think broadly because I have plenty of friends who changed. [They] got to college wanting to study one thing and then ended up on a different path.

“I just encourage them to think broadly about schools. Schools that maybe aren’t close to the Jamaican Diaspora. A place a little farther away that may give them a little view outside of the box,” said Renner.

“It’s great to come here and see a room full of around 400 kids. We are all here dreaming and trying to look at what their lives look like and thinking big and thinking positive, and doing positive things. This is really awesome to see.

What it means, I think for Jamaica, is it’s just building connections for the US and Jamaica.

“If half of these kids go to school in the United States that’s like 200 more people who have gone to the US and made friends and studied, shared Jamaican culture in the US while they are there, so they are going to discover that when they go… that’s really what it’s about.

It’s really just encouraging that connection. Young people are open to make new friends and learn more and take chances,” added Renner.

Shellicia Gordon, an upper sixth-form student at Hampton High School in St Elizabeth, told the Observer that the timing of the initiative could not have been better as she looks forward to fulfilling her aspiration of becoming an orthodontist at a university overseas.

“I wanted to know more about the different universities in the States and what my options are by asking different colleges. I was interested in how to go about applying for school, especially with my student visa application as well, and just to get a bit more knowledge on what I’m supposed to do. Florida International University, St John’s, and Georgia State University, they are some of my top universities that I would want to apply to overseas,” said Gordon.

She argued that for many students sixth form is usually accompanied by uncertainty as they seek to transition to tertiary level education.

“It’s really important that we come to these events, because it gives you a chance to know what your options are to broaden your knowledge on universities abroad, and we can even go about the university application process in Jamaica itself. And just to know that you have options, so you won’t be confused, because as upper sixth students and fifthform students, sometimes too, you kind of feel lost during this time when you have to apply for college, so it’s great to come to these events and to just keep yourself in the know,” Gordon added.

For Jorie Johnson, an 11th-grader at the Westwood High School in Trelawny, her presence at the college fair moved her one step closer to her aspiration of becoming a ship captain.

“I have a passion for marine- based events, so after sixth form I’ll look at the Maritime in California [California State University Maritime Academy] or South Korea [or] just any university that can facilitate marine transportation.

I really like to travel, so I think becoming a ship captain would help me to elevate myself and to experience the world because the world is like a book, and you can’t expect to know everything about that book if you just read only one chapter,” said an enthusiastic Johnson.