6th Annual Author’s Forum
CFBC TO HOST SIXTH IN CELEBRATION OF BOOKS: AN AUTHORS’ FORUM ON THURSDAY, 5th MARCH 2026
Basseterre, St. Kitts: The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) is set to host its sixth Authors’ Forum “In Celebration of Books” on Thursday, 5th March 2026 at 5:00 pm in the Poinciana Conference Room at the CFBC main campus on Burdon Street, Basseterre. Admission is free.
The event will feature a dynamic lineup of authors showcasing their works. Melissa James will present When Are You Going to Get a Real Career? —A Guide to Designing a Career You Would Be Proud Of. Chesil Hamilton will share insights from his book Social Security—My Topical Reflections (Essays and Issues). Milton Whittaker will highlight Plants Around Us (Part III), while Jessica Byron will discuss Global Institutions—Summits and Regional Governance: The Americas in Comparative Perspective. Rounding out the group is Coryn Anaya Clarke, author of Chronicles of Coryn—Let’s Talk About Friendship.
As the sole indigenous tertiary-level institution in St. Kitts and Nevis, dedicated to delivering comprehensive academic, professional, and vocational education and training, the CFBC promotes the appreciation of books and the joy of reading and writing.
The CFBC invites students, staff, faculty and the wider public to this important forum where they can learn more about our local authors and engage them in stimulating discussion.
6th Annual Author’s Forum
CFBC Students Claim Victory at 2026 Caribbean STEM Olympiad
St. Kitts and Nevis team defeats regional competitors with innovative financial education platform
Basseterre, St. Kitts – January 22, 2026 – Four students from Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) have emerged victorious at the 2026 Caribbean STEM Olympiad, defeating teams from Jamaica, Belize, and Guyana in the Computer Coding category. The winning team—Josiah Davis, Fraimer De La Cruz, Nathan Lewis, and Nikhal Dore—are all members of the College’s AI and Coding Club, in its inaugural year, and founded by team member and president Fraimer De La Cruz. Together, they developed a comprehensive digital platform that reimagines how the government’s ASPIRE Programme could engage and educate Caribbean youth about investing and financial literacy.
Fig 1. Left to Right – Nikhal Dore, Josiah Davis, Fraimer De La Cruz and Nathan Lewis
The Caribbean STEM Olympiad, hosted annually by the Caribbean Science Foundation, is now in its fourth year and features three competitive categories: Math, Computer Coding (aimed at solving challenges faced by Caribbean communities), and Robotics & Electronics Systems. This year’s competition took place from January 12-18, 2026, bringing together the region’s brightest young minds.
A Platform Born from Real Need
The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis launched the ASPIRE Programme (Achieving Success through Personal Investment, Resources, and Education) in September 2024, providing eligible youth with $500 in savings and $500 invested in local publicly traded shares. While innovative in concept, the program’s existing interface offered limited visibility into investments and minimal educational support for participants to understand their portfolios.
The inspiration to enhance ASPIRE came from personal experience. As team member Nikhal Dore explained during their presentation, “A few years ago, I received $1,000 through a government program in Saint Kitts and Nevis. But that investment money was just sitting there. I had no idea what it was invested in, what investing really meant, or whether my stocks were going up or down. If I—someone interested in technology and finance—didn’t understand it, then thousands of other young people probably didn’t either.”
This realization sparked the team’s mission: to transform ASPIRE from a simple funding program into a powerful tool for education, responsible investing, and long-term financial empowerment—not just for St. Kitts and Nevis, but for CARICOM youth across the region.
Innovation That Impressed the Judges
Under the guidance of lecturer Enoete Inanga, who encouraged them to channel their strengths in computer science, AI, and coding toward solving a regional challenge, the team worked diligently for months to bring their vision to life. The result was a feature-rich proof-of-concept platform that thoroughly impressed the judges as “a well put-together concept with tremendous potential.”
Fig 2. Left to Right – Nathan Lewis, Enoete Inanga, Josiah Davis, Fraimer De La Cruz and Nikhal Dore
The team’s enhanced ASPIRE platform includes:
- Sparky, a fully functional AI chatbot that serves as an investment companion and teacher, answering questions specific to each user’s portfolio and providing personalized guidance
- A CARICOM-centric marketplace featuring stocks from across the region, including institutions like the West Indies Bank, St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank, and Barbados Commercial Bank
- Interactive learning modules with short courses explaining investing fundamentals, risk management, and diversification—with mandatory lessons required before high-risk actions
- A competitive leaderboard that gamifies the learning experience, allowing students to compete with passionate learners across the region
- Educational games with difficulty levels ranging from easy to expert, unlocking as users progress
- A clean data-visualization dashboard providing clear insights into portfolio performance
As the team emphasized in their presentation, “Innovation doesn’t always mean creating something completely new. Sometimes innovation means improving what already exists and unlocking its full potential.”
Recognition and Next Steps
The team was formally recognized at the Caribbean STEM Olympiad Awards and Closing Ceremony on Sunday, January 18, 2026. Their proof-of-concept demonstrates significant potential for how the ASPIRE Programme can evolve into a comprehensive educational platform. With further development and integration of real-time market data, their vision could expand across CARICOM territories, potentially transforming government-supported youth investment programs throughout the Caribbean into interactive tools for financial literacy.
The project showcases not only technical excellence but also a deep understanding of how existing government initiatives can be enhanced through technology. With further development and access to regional market data, the team’s vision could transform ASPIRE into a cornerstone tool for financial education across the Caribbean.
About the Caribbean Science Foundation
The Caribbean Science Foundation (CSF) aims to enhance the quality of secondary and tertiary science education in the region while creating a technology-savvy workforce through initiatives like the annual Caribbean STEM Olympiads.
Fig 3. Relax at the Prime Minister’s Office
CFBC Press ReleaseWednesday, 17th December 2025|
2026/2027 Application Period Now Open for ‘The UWI’ Bachelor of Science in
Nursing
Congratulations, Ms. Blessings Joseph!
We proudly recognize Ms. Joseph for completing her internship at the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards and Multipurpose Laboratories from July 8 to August 8, 2025.
During her internship, she contributed to important projects in Chemistry, Air Quality, Microbiology, and Traceability, demonstrating outstanding professionalism and a strong commitment to learning.
Ms. Joseph gained hands-on experience in both laboratory and field operations, strengthening her technical skills, deepening her understanding of quality and safety standards, and developing practical strategies for managing and maintaining efficient, well-organized laboratories.
👏 We celebrate her achievements and look forward to seeing her continued success!
CREATIVE BRILLIANCE: CFBC’s ENDIRA REEKNAUTH WINS 2025 ECCB/RSS-ARU CREATIVE YOUTH COMPETITION FOR AGES 17-19
Basseterre, St. Kitts: Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) second-year student Endira Reeknauth has emerged triumphant in the 2025 ECCB (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank)/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition, winning the 17-19 age category.
Reeknauth receives winning trophy from Deputy Governor of ECCB Dr. Valda Henry
Endira’s essay tackled the topic: “Financial education should be a mandatory subject in all primary and secondary schools. Discuss.”
At a brief but meaningful ceremony held in the CFBC Poinciana Conference Room on Monday, 30th June 2025, Ms. Reeknauth expressed her surprise at winning the competition, adding that she was deeply grateful for the recognition.
“I am incredibly grateful to be standing here today and receiving this award. Honestly, I did not expect to win—especially first place, of all things,” she said.
“As I mentioned in my interview, I had very little academic knowledge on the topic I wrote about. I simply had a lot of observations I wanted to share, and I had to do extensive research to support my claims. This achievement shows that my hard work did not go in vain,” Ms. Reeknauth added.
Reeknauth receives a monetary award from Deputy Governor of ECCB Dr. Valda Henry
She expressed heartfelt thanks to the ECCB and the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU) for providing her with the opportunity to showcase her abilities and humbly gave all the glory to God for enabling her to achieve this remarkable milestone.
In her brief remarks, Deputy Governor of the ECCB, Dr. Valda F. Henry, commended Endira and other young people across the region who continue to excel and make a positive impact.
“It is truly a great pleasure to be here this afternoon as we pause to recognize the contributions of our youth. Too often, we hear negative narratives about young people, but the truth is, the majority of our youth are doing exceptionally well. Unfortunately, that’s not always where the spotlight shines,” said Dr. Henry. “Today, however, the spotlight is on Endira and all the other participants in the Creative Youth Competition.”
Dr. Henry noted that CFBC had previously won in 2020 and challenged the college to secure another win next year to retain the trophy permanently. She commended Endira’s essay on the importance of financial education in schools for its relevance and insight, encouraging CFBC to integrate financial literacy into its curriculum.
She also urged Endira to consider investing part of her prize money, highlighting the value of early financial planning and the opportunities available through the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange. Dr. Henry concluded by announcing that Endira’s essay would be published and featured in the 2025 Financial Information Festival, serving as a resource to inspire both youth and adults across the region in financial management.
Reeknauth with her mother
Ms. Wanda Hughes, Interim Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at CFBC, extended her sincere thanks to the ECCB for its continued support and recognition of student achievement.
“On behalf of the CFBC Board, administration, faculty, staff, and students, I express heartfelt thanks. Thank you to the ECCB for your ongoing stewardship of the annual ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition, which is geared toward stimulating the intellect of our region’s youth—and by extension, the students of CFBC,” Ms. Hughes said.
Ms. Hughes receives CFBC winning trophy from Deputy Governor of ECCB Dr. Valda Henry
Ms. Hughes added: “CFBC is inspired by your institution’s unwavering commitment to sustaining educational progress. Your dedication is not only uplifting but also makes a meaningful difference across the region.”
She said that CFBC expresses gratitude for the monetary award, noting that while modest, it will support essential initiatives to enhance student success, while thanking Endira Reeknauth, whose outstanding achievement made the award possible, and reaffirming CFBC’s commitment to striving for excellence.
Ms. Hughes receives monetary grant for CFBC
Ms. Reeknauth was awarded $3,000 EC for her winning essay, while the CFBC was granted $2,000 EC.
The ceremony was hosted by Elizabeth Wayland-Phillip, Senior Corporate Relations Officer at the ECCB, and was attended by Ms. Delise Williams, Acting Dean of the Division of Arts, Science and General Studies (ASGS); Ms. Clytie Gilbert, Student Services Manager; Ms. Laverne Brookes, Dean acting in the Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE); and Ms. Reeknauth, Indira’s mother.
The ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition, launched in 2018, is a regional initiative by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU). It aims to foster critical and creative thinking among youth aged 13 to 19 across the ECCB’s eight member countries.
The competition features various genres—essay writing, poetry, songwriting, and visual art—and encourages students to explore social and economic issues affecting the region. Winners receive monetary awards, and their schools also benefit from grants. Each year, the competition is centered around timely and thought-provoking themes. In 2025, topics included financial education in schools, sports for development, and education system reform.
Reeknauth with CFBC Faculty and Staff L-R: Ms. Wanda Hughes, Ms. Laverne Brookes, Ms. Delise Williams, Ms. Clytie Gilbert
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