Student Essay Winners Announced

Business Bermuda announced the winners of its Annual General Meeting Breakfast Essay Contest, with Berkeley’s Stevona Daniels [pictured] winning first place, Shobhitha Balasubramaniam in second place, and Brittney Ferreira in third.

Students were challenged to submit a 500-word essay in the form of an open letter to the Premier on the topic, “I want to ensure our future financial security, and this is how I suggest we can help Bermuda stimulate the economy.”

Over 100 entries were received from The Berkeley Institute, Cedarbridge Academy, Sandy’s Secondary Middle School, Bermuda Institute, Bermuda High School for Girls, and even a few students in college.

The 100-plus students who submitted these essays presented a variety of views on the subject. Among the most interesting and thought-provoking ideas were a proposed casino island, establishing the University of Bermuda, legalizing Marijuana, water and theme parks, fisheries, and even turn Bermuda into a Marxist state to spread the wealth around to everyone.

A majority of students believed that the rising tide of crime in Bermuda must be stemmed before Bermuda is no longer considered a prime tourist and international business destination.

“This year I was very impressed by the ideas the students presented,” stated Cheryl Packwood, CEO of Business Bermuda. “Each and every submission had at least one good idea, and the quality of suggestions proved that Bermuda’s youth have a good idea of the political, economic, and societal challenges facing Bermuda today. They are concerned for their future, and have put a lot of thought into ensuring their future financial security. I’d like to congratulate all of the students who participated this year and especially the eight winners.”

The following eight students were selected for the top awards:

• 1st Place [awarded $300]: Stevona Daniels, The Berkeley Institute
• 2nd Place [$150]: Shobhitha Balasubramaniam, Sandy’s Secondary Middle School
• 3rd Place [$50]: Brittney Ferreira, Bermuda High School for Girls
• Honourable Mention: Jai-Onni Outerbridge, Sandy’s Secondary Middle School; Bakari Simons, The Berkeley Institute; Shaena Simons, The Berkeley Institute; Andrew Fleming, Cedarbridge Academy; and Israel Sanchez, Cedarbridge Academy

These eight outstanding young Bermudians will join Premier Paula Cox at a private breakfast to be held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 8:30 a.m, and the winning essays will be posted to the Business Bermuda website following the breakfast. The students will have the opportunity to interact with the Premier, discuss their concerns and present their ideas.

This is the third year of the essay contest. Essays were judged on a combination of content, the ability to support a position or argument, and the use of grammar.

Among the highlights from the top winning essays:

• “…To offer different payroll tax packages or percentages for different categories depending on the individual company’s profit margin. For example a small business will be taxed according to their revenue intake, which I’m sure is far less than the International Business’s revenue intake. This would deem to be fair by our business owners, given the circumstances of our current economic climate.” — Stevona Daniels, First Place

• “We can use renewable resources for energy. This act can tremendously reduce the cost for electricity for people on the island… A way we can use wind power is that we can put wind turbines in the ocean, which is usually windy. This resource can reduce the cost of electricity mostly all year round. This suggestion can help stimulate the economy by creating jobs.” — Shobhitha Balasubramaniam, Second Place

• “Bermuda is in the midst of an economic recession. Tourism is declining, international business is up in the air and government debts are astronomical. Many attempts to revive our economy have been tried and failed. I firmly believe it is the establishment of government-operated casinos that will ensure our country’s future financial security and help to stimulate the economy of Bermuda, not only immediately but in the long-term.” — Brittney Ferreira, Third Place

#AwardWinners #BermudaTeens

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