In recognition of personal excellence and community spirit in the county of Cornwall, 15 stalwarts were honoured with the Governor General's Achievement Award earlier this month at the Negril Hills Golf Club in Westmoreland.
The group comprises five seniors and 10 youth recipients whose lives showcase individuals who have risen against the odds and were not satisfied with their personal achievements, but decided to contribute to the well-being and development of others around them as well.
Today, we present the awardees for Hanover.
Shaurna Miller
Shaurna Frozell Miller (left) receives the Governor General's Achievement Award from Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall. In the centre is acting Custos of Hanover, Enid Gonzalves. - Photos by Noel Thompson
Shaurna Frozella Miller, a teacher at the Green Island High School in Hanover, is a senior recipient of the Governor General's Achievement Award in the parish.
Miller volunteers as a care mediator for the Dispute Resolution Foundation at the Hanover Mediation Centre and co-ordinates the peer mediation for four high schools in the parish.
She is a committee member of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and is a speech and drama adjudicator and a trainer for the annual JCDC Festival Queen Competition.
She is also a member of the board of Governors at the Kendal Basic School and the president for the Harding Hall Parent-Teachers' Association.
Miller dedicates her free time to being a member of the Drug Awareness Committee where she uses her drama to convey critical messages.
Miller also helps neighbouring communities to plan local talent shows and pageants.
For her, the Governor General's Achievement Award is very significant: "I was really surprised because it wasn't anything that I was expecting," said Miller.
Theresa Bowen
Theresa Louise Bowen (centre) collects her Governor General's Youth Award for Excellence from Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall at a presentation function, held at the Negril Hills Golf Club in Westmoreland
Theresa Bowen says being named as a youth recipient of the prestigious Governor General's Achievement Award has motivated her co-workers to get involved in volunteerism.
Bowen is currently an attorney-at-law at LEX Caribbean. She has received multiple scholarships and awards to complete her studies in law at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
Bowen told The Gleaner that having received several scholarships and awards, she felt compelled to give back to society.
While a student at UWI, Bowen was involved in the mentorship and quality leadership programmes and served at the Nightingale Children's Home in Barbados.
She is the youth representative of a Hanover association and is president of the Fletcher's Grove Baptist Church officers' board.
Bowen has also been involved in projects such as the National Initiative for Street Children and has been a volunteer at the Jamaica Christian Boys' Home, visiting and assisting children with their studies.
"When you see the smiles on their faces, especially the ones who don't have parents and look forward to seeing you, no amount of money will give you that feeling." she said.
Keliene Jodian Maye
Keliene Jodian Maye (centre) accepts her Governor General's Youth Award for Excellence from Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall at a presentation function, held at the Negril Hills Golf Club in Westmoreland.
"It's an overwhelming feeling; it's a mixture of emotions which I can't really express with words," said Keliene Jodian Maye, after receiving the Governor General's Achievements Award.
Maye is a founder of the programme: Comforting and Reaching the Elderly (C.A.R.E) which was established in 2006.
She is also the youth HIV ambassador for the parish of Westmoreland.
Maye is a certified mediator and founder and president of the Girls' Entertainment Movement, a small organisation that seeks to engage the creative expressions in young women.
She is also an active participant in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's speech and drama festivals and has won multiple medals.
Maye said her mother has been her biggest motivation.
This ambitious 20-year-old who has been actively involved in extra curricular activities since the beginning of high school, said she believes these activities helped her to be more focused and organised.
Maye, who has an excellent academic record, plans to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Communication at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC).
Twelve stalwarts from the county of Surrey were honoured with the Governor General's Achievement Award at the Jamaica Crest Resort in Portland last week. The group comprised four senior and eight youth recipients, who have risen against the odds and have contributed to the well-being and development of others around them. Today, we present the awardees from the parish of Portland.
Sygismund Mayne
Governor General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall (right) presents the Governor General's Achievement Award to Sygismund Mayne as Custos of Portland, Roy Thompson (left), and Rasalpha Stewart, another recipient, looks on. Presentations for the county of Surrey were made at the Jamaica Crest Resort in Fairy Hill, Portland. - Photos by Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
For more than three decades of volunteer service to his community, 69-year-old Sygismund Mayne was last Wednesday recognised for his outstanding contribution by receiving a Governor General's Achievement Award.
Mayne told The Gleaner he began volunteering when he joined the Castle Police Youth Group at age 31, shortly after he returned from the United States, where he completed his associate degree in electronics at the RCA Institute of Technology.
"I was compelled to join the group. They were inspiring," he said.
All for the youth
Since then, Mayne has never looked back. He is now actively pursuing the development of a new building for the Fair Prospect Primary School.
Mayne played an instrumental role in establishing the Castle Youth Club.
He wanted to provide an environment in which young people could participate in recreational activities.
He also got help to equip the centre with stoves and sewing machines, and to provide training in culinary arts and woodwork.
Mayne, a retired employee of the Transoceanic Communications Limited, is married with seven children.
He currently serves as the chairman for the Fair Prospect Primary School, and is also the president of the Boston Old Students' Association.
Rasalpha Stewart
Governor General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall (right) makes the presentation to Rasalpha Stewart. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
Rasalpha Stewart, a 19-year-old youth recipient of the Governor General's Achievement Award, has his eyes set on studying chemical engineering at the University of Technology, come next school year.
Stewart excelled in the sciences and mathematics in high school.
He received a Jamaica 4-H Clubs scholarship while he was a student at the Happy Grove High School to pursue studies in biology and chemistry at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in Portland.
Recognised for his academics and community achievements, Stewart was chosen as the 4-H Clubs' Boy of the Year in 2006.
Stewart captained his school's debating team and was vice- president for the 4-H Club.
He also has four individual trophies for excellence in mathematics, chemistry, geography and agriculture.
Stewart told The Gleaner that he felt proud to be recognised for his hard work.
Samantha Hardy
A former festival queen for the parish of Portland, Samantha Hardy, 27 years old, is a lover of the arts and a dedicated teacher.
A youth recipient of the Governor General's Achievement Award for her involvement in the community of Norwich in Portland, Hardy sees herself as a mentor for the youths in her community.
Hardy, who is a Christian, leads the youth group at the Church of God in Jamaica, Norwich. She is actively involved in the Port Antonio Theatre group and has been recognised numerous times for her talent in poetry, dance and speech training.
Best speech item
She received an award last year for the best speech item in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's annual competition.
In keeping with her ambition, to teach, guide and assist young Jamaicans to achieve their personal goals, Hardy provides direction for the youths in her community to make informed choices about their career path.
Hardy is a graduate of the Shortwood Teachers' Training College, with a Certificate in Early Childhood Education.
She also studied at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education and subsequently pursued tertiary studies at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
Governor General, Professor Sir Kenneth Hall (right) makes a presentation to Samantha Hardy, at the Governor General's Achievement Awards, at the Jamaica Crest Resort in Portland. In the background is another awardee, Rasalpha Stewart - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
