…New Guyana Secondary excels, cops top prizesBy Suraj NarineDefined as a ground-breaking, informative and exciting event, the Children Career Day Competition, after some energetic and exciting presentations, concluded on Friday.The event was organised by Assured Services; a small business company that provides professional business services in the areas such as Marketing, Public Relations, Data Entry, Research & Analysis and Graphic Designs. Other Government and business entities also played the role of sponsor of the event.Entities such as Ansa McAl,China NFL Jerseys, Unicomer Guyana Incorporated, the Ministry of Education, New India Assurance and Sterling Products Limited were on board.The affair was organised with one goal in mind – to sensitise students of the challenges that may be encountered in the vast professional world ahead.The competition was launched at the National Library on January 21, 2016, and saw as many as 65 students from 30 schools across the spectrum being given the opportunity to compete.Following the launch, there were two preliminaries, one held on January 28 and the other, the day after.Students chose professions in areas such as Agronomy, Medicine, Farming, Neurology, Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Acting, and Food and Nutrition.The competition was divided into two age categories – 11-13 years and 14-16 – and comprised two segments,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, the demonstration and interview.Last Friday,NFL Cheap Jerseys, the finals were hosted at the Theatre Guild on Parade Street, Kingston, which saw a jam-packed auditorium, as family members, friends and well-wishers turned out to offer support.A total of 22 participants competed in the finals; 11 in each category. Prizes were awarded for 1st to 3rd places. There was also a special prize for the ‘Most Enthusiastic Competitor’.DEVELOPING THE NATION THROUGH EDUCATIONDelivering remarks at the final was the event’s organiser and Manager of Assured Services, Natheeah King-Mendonca.In a nutshell, the young visionary stated that the Career Day was conceptualised to provide the basic necessity in preparing secondary school graduates for the challenges that lie ahead in the professional world and through the changes brought about by the impact of the local, regional and global economies on the labour market.“We at Assured believe that at this stage of your lives, exposure to an event like this, is an opportunity to provide you with information and guidance as you grow, towards making career choices or knowing what you want to be when you get older,”“We recognized the need and understand the importance of an activity like this, and decided to play our part in developing the nation through education, and that is to highlight various career paths that children may want to choose and to guide their thinking toward making a decision for the future,” King-Mendonca asserted.Category winners Shamal Khan (left) and Patrick Thompson with the competition’s coordinator.Aspiring Aeronautical Engineer Shamal Khan, winner of the 14-16 years category, during his practical demonstration.She asked the students in the audience, “Children, we know that you have dreams, but have you ever thought of how those dreams will be realized? Have you asked yourself where you are going to be in the next five or 10 years from now? What will you be doing from eight to four or nine to five each day? In what sphere will you work? Have you asked yourself those questions as yet? Or, let me make it a bit simpler, have you thought of what you want to become when you are finished school (or) what are your objectives in life?”Pausing a while to let it sink in, King-Mendonca went on to say, “I have news for you, now is the time to decide, seek information and guidance, because?I will tell you this: it’s either you think about your career beforehand – which is now – or you may graduate and still wondering what exactly is your calling. And when you can’t figure it out, then you will start to complain about everything and blame everyone.”King-Mendonca also advised them that as young people, there is a need to start early and remain humble, to understand their skills, to explore, to do what they are passionate about, to get a range of perspectives but to keep their options open.She urged the students to venture into every available avenue where knowledge can be gained.“The internet is available; so read, network and get information. This will help you to avoid switching and wasting valuable time in your life. Be satisfied with little while wishing for more. As you wish for more, you must work hard to become and not to acquire”In closing, King-Mendonca expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for its approval and endorsement. She also extended appreciation to the participating schools,<a