Luckily for me, I had two such opportunities recently – hosting both the National Baking Company’s Annual Education Assistance Ceremony and the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) Education Fund Scholarship Awards.

The National Baking Company’s Educational Assistance Programme provides funding to assist in the educational costs for the children of those employed to their organization. The theme of their event was “Excellence is Attainable. Level Up,” and it was truly heartwarming to see the students take that message to heart. After challenging them to be bold and fearless, one student took the challenge head on and tackled her fear of speaking in front of an audience on the spot.

The BGLC Education Fund, on the other hand, offers scholarship for tertiary education. Since it’s inception in 2014, it has made contributions exceeding $50 million towards education, and in the academic year 2019-2020, it had put forward $12.5 million to assist 250 students attending 30 tertiary institutions across the island.

It’s amazing to see two local companies playing their part in developing the upcoming generations, and I am honoured to be a part of the movement.

Here’s a look at some of the photos from both events.

The post Funding the Future: BGLC & National Baking Company Scholarship Awards appeared first on Terri-Karelle.

The four-day conference focused on how gaming regulators throughout the world can foster a secure, vibrant, innovative, safe and responsible industry. It sought to tackle and discuss some timely concerns in the industry such as cybersecurity, the effect of blockchain technology, and the role of artificial intelligence and big data in gaming regulation.

It was the very first time in the nine years of conducting this annual conference that IAGR, the largest international gaming regulation body in the world, selected a Caribbean territory to be its host, and I’m thrilled that they chose Jamaica as the ideal destination.

Jamaica isn’t just a place for sun, sea and sand. It’s a place for business, and having 200 delegates from 26 countries gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase Jamaica’s capabilities – and showcase we did!

In true #YourJamaicanGirl style I intentionally wore a dress from Loud Fashion that looked similar to our Doctor Bird or a tropical flower. One delegate said that I looked like a butterfly. The audience approved with applause.

Brand Jamaica was also beautifully represented in many other ways – from the conference bags by Bresheh, locally handcrafted ceramics and Jamaican books to the entertainment throughout the night by Dance Xpressions, Dwight Trumpet, Gem Myers and others. We laughed and danced the night away to sweet reggae music.

It was an absolute honour to host this event, learn more about the global gaming industry, and see our country highlighted in such a wonderful way.

The post International Association of Gaming Regulators 2019 Gala Dinner appeared first on Terri-Karelle.