Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, has encouraged students of Immaculate Conception High School in Kingston to explore careers of the future.

“You have to know where the world is going so that you can choose your majors wisely, because you want to be at the cutting edge of future. The future isn’t the traditional jobs that we know about,” she said.

Dr. Morris Dixon delivered the keynote address during the institution’s prize giving ceremony on Wednesday (December 18), under the theme ‘Channelling Our Franciscan Value: Embracing Change, Leading with Vision’.

She told the students that, “as we move forward into an era shaped by technology, global connectivity and new ideas, you have to embrace it.”

“Everything is changing around us – how we communicate, how we do business, how our environment interacts with us. Change has been the default. The question before all of you, including me, is whether or not you are ready for this change. How are you going to embrace all of this change that is happening?” the Minister posited.

The over 1,000 students who were recognised for their outstanding academic achievements during the ceremony were commended by Senator Morris Dixon, who extended, “congratulations to you for putting in the hard work.”

Meanwhile, the Minister encouraged their parents to nurture the other elements that are crucial to their success, including being good stewards of what God has blessed them with.

She shared her personal story of leaving Jamaica on a Fulbright Scholarship, pointing out that after completing her PhD, she could have chosen to work in any global firm or university, but, instead, returned home.

“I came back to Jamaica because I understood that I had been given something that a lot of others had not been given. Throughout our lives, we always have a responsibility to think [and explore] how am I [going to] pay it forward?” Dr. Morris Dixon stated.