Basseterre, St. Kitts– At the end of the academic year 2012 – 2013, Latonya Richardson graduated from the Cayon High School. At the time, she was hoping to secure meaningful employment since she had successfully completed her CSEC examinations. When the opportunity did not materialize, she became certain of one thing – she needed to find some sort of training program which would help her to occupy her time whilst simultaneously preparing her for the world of work.
Thus, in February 2014, Latonya became enrolled in the A Ganar program, as a student of Hospitality. She recounts that prior to her participation in this program, she never really liked cooking. Today she is proud of what she has learnt indicating with sheer delight that the best dish she has prepared thus far is seafood pasta. She has since learnt how to prepare jams, jellies, juices, pasta and omelettes. It is her plan to provide this knowledge to her younger siblings.
One of her most memorable moments includes attending the Career Fair hosted by Kittitian Hill in May. She was able to use the communication skills she has been taught to do well in the job interview. She expressed her hope that she will be able to secure a job there when the facility officially opens to the public in December 2014.
She thoroughly enjoys the program and will encourage other youth to join the program in order to better their employability skills and learn a vocation. According to her, respect is her favorite skill simply because “without respect people won’t treat you well”. She hopes that she will be able to utilize her skills to work in a restaurant.