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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, January 7, 2020 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Guest speaker at Prime Minister’s Gala 2020, held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Saturday January 4, Dr Freeman A. Hrabowski III, while advocating for science, technology and innovation, and economic development, told the audience that at the foundation of all those areas will be reading skills.

“One of my challenges to you for children and for our society is to stop making people of one type or the other – that regardless of what you are interested in you could still know more in the other areas,” said Dr Hrabowski. “The majority of jobs in our world will have a heavy technological focus.”

The guest speaker requested the audience, which included Governor General His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, to ask themselves when they think about the leaders for the next decade and the next century how St. Kitts and Nevis identifies early on, children who can be excited about maths and science and engineering.

“I had the privilege today of meeting a son of St. Kitts, his name is Larry Quinlan,” said Dr Hrabowski. “Here is a young man who is the Chief Global Information Officer for Deloitte Touche. Think about it – that the number one person in technology in the world is a graduate of schools in St. Kitts. When you hear about one of your graduates you must celebrate them as much as we celebrate the music – as much as we celebrate door prizes… I want you to be as powerful in your passion for education.”

Prime Minister’s Gala 2020, was held under the theme ‘Building a brighter, stronger future for all our citizens and residents’, and Dr Hrabowski challenged St. Kitts and Nevis to think about the fact that the country has excellence in its students in the area of education, and advised that the students must be told about it.

“You must expose them and just as the Prime Minister says in his Prosperity Agenda – it must become real,” pointed out Dr Hrabowski. “Some must become as real as your music. It must become… because it is the future for human kind. So I challenge you to watch your thoughts they become your words. Watch your words they become your actions. Watch your actions they become your habits. Watch your habits they become your character. Watch your character it becomes your destiny.”  

Earlier, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, had on Friday January 3 hosted Dr Hrabowski and Mrs Hrabowski for dinner at the Park Hyatt. In attendance included Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Shawn Richards, Minister of Agriculture et al the Hon Eugene Hamilton, Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs the Hon Vincent Byron, and St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States, His Excellency Dr Everson Hull.

Dr Freeman A. Hrabowski III has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) since 1992. In 2012 President Barack Obama selected him to chair President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He was in 2012 named by Time Magazine to its 2012 list of The World’s 100 Most Influential People.

Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr Hrabowski graduated from Hampton Institute with highest honours in mathematics. He received his M.A. (Mathematics) and PhD (higher education administration/statistics) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.