๐บ๐. ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Basseterre, St. Kitts โ January 22, 2026 โ 4 college students from Clarence Fitzroy Bryant School (CFBC) have emerged victorious on the 2026 Caribbean STEM Olympiad, defeating groups from Jamaica, Belize, and Guyana within the Laptop Coding class. The successful crew, Josiah Davis, Fraimer De La Cruz, Nathan Lewis, and Nikhal Dore, are all members of the Schoolโs AI and Coding Membership, in its inaugural yr, and based by crew member and president, Fraimer De La Cruz.
Collectively, they developed a complete digital platform that reimagines how the federal governmentโs ASPIRE Programme may have interaction and educate Caribbean youth about investing and monetary literacy.
The Caribbean STEM Olympiad, hosted yearly by the Caribbean Science Basis, is now in its fourth yr and options three aggressive classes: Math, Laptop Coding (aimed toward fixing challenges confronted by Caribbean communities), and Robotics & Electronics Methods. This yrโs competitors befell from January 12-18, 2026, bringing collectively the areaโs brightest younger minds.
๐ ๐ฃ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ
The Authorities of Saint Kitts and Nevis launched the ASPIRE Programme (Attaining Success by way of Private Funding, Sources, and Training) in September 2024, offering eligible youth with $500 in financial savings and $500 invested in native publicly traded shares. Whereas progressive in idea, this systemโs current interface provided restricted visibility into investments and minimal instructional help for individuals to know their portfolios.
The inspiration to boost ASPIRE got here from private expertise.
As crew member Nikhal Dore defined throughout their presentation, โA number of years in the past, I obtained $1,000 by way of a authorities program in Saint Kitts and Nevis. However that funding cash was simply sitting there. I had no concept what it was invested in, what investing actually meant, or whether or not my shares had been going up or down. If I, somebody keen on know-how and finance, didnโt perceive it, then 1000’s of different younger folks most likely didnโt both.โ
This realization sparked the crewโs mission: to rework ASPIRE from a easy funding program into a robust instrument for training, accountable investing, and long-term monetary empowerment, not only for St. Kitts and Nevis, however for CARICOM youth throughout the area.
๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐
Below the steerage of lecturer Enoete Inanga, who inspired them to channel their strengths in pc science, AI, and coding towards fixing a regional problem, the crew labored diligently for months to deliver their imaginative and prescient to life. The outcome was a feature-rich proof-of-concept platform that totally impressed the judges as โa properly put-together idea with great potential.โ
The crewโs enhanced ASPIRE platform consists of:
โ Sparky, a completely practical AI chatbot that serves as an funding companion and trainer, answering questions particular to every consumerโs portfolio and offering customized steerage
โ A CARICOM-centric market that includes shares from throughout the area, together with establishments just like the West Indies Financial institution, St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla Nationwide Financial institution, and Barbados Industrial Financial institution
โ Interactive studying modules with brief programs explaining investing fundamentals, danger administration, and diversificationโwith obligatory classes required earlier than high-risk actions
โ A aggressive leaderboard that gamifies the training expertise, permitting college students to compete with passionate learners throughout the area
โ Academic video games with issue ranges starting from straightforward to skilled, unlocking as customers progress
โ A clear data-visualization dashboard offering clear insights into portfolio efficiency
Because the crew emphasised of their presentation, โInnovation doesnโt all the time imply creating one thing utterly new. Generally innovation means bettering what already exists and unlocking its full potential.โ
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฒ๐
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐
The crew was formally acknowledged on the Caribbean STEM Olympiad Awards and Closing Ceremony on Sunday, January 18, 2026. Their proof-of-concept demonstrates important potential for the way the ASPIRE Programme can evolve right into a complete instructional platform. With additional growth and integration of real-time market information, their imaginative and prescient may broaden throughout CARICOM territories, probably reworking government-supported youth funding applications all through the Caribbean into interactive instruments for monetary literacy.
The challenge showcases not solely technical excellence but additionally a deep understanding of how current authorities initiatives may be enhanced by way of know-how. With additional growth and entry to regional market information, the crewโs imaginative and prescient may rework ASPIRE right into a cornerstone instrument for monetary training throughout the Caribbean.
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The Caribbean Science Basis (CSF) goals to boost the standard of secondary and tertiary science training within the area whereas making a technology-savvy workforce by way of initiatives just like the annual Caribbean STEM Olympiads.
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