St. Thomas High Achiever on Mission to Help Jamaica Embrace Technology

Sixteen-year-old Obrien Rose, a former student of Seaforth High School in St. Thomas, says his journey from a shy teenager to an internationally exposed scholar has shaped his mission to help Jamaica embrace technology and empower youth.

Currently a Computer Science student at the University of Technology (UTech) Jamaica, in Kingston, Obrien excelled in a range of academic competitions, including Maths, Debating, and most notably, a Universal Service Fund/European Union video competition, which he won with his teammates earlier this year.

That victory afforded the team an all-expense paid educational trip to Brussels, Belgium – Obrien’s very first time abroad.

In an interview with JIS News, the ambitious youngster said that the experience was transformative.

“It was amazing knowing that it was my first time travelling and it was actually because of my hard work and dedication,” he said.

During visits to Paris and Brussels, Obrien said his worldview expanded. “It has opened my eyes to so many things,” he noted, adding that witnessing European systems made him reflect deeply on home.

“It showed me that Jamaica’s infrastructure can improve, but it would have to take a lot of dedication and a lot of courage to improve it,” he said.

Not usually so outspoken, Obrien recalls that it was in grade nine when his teacher “brought me out of my shyness”.

His academic and leadership ambitions grew since then, and he even became Youth Mayor of Morant Bay in 2024.

With his many accomplishments and his passion for information and communications technology (ICT), he hopes to inspire young Jamaicans to embrace technology as a career path.

“I want to help young people recognise that they can go outside of their comfort zone and start building something for themselves, instead of relying on others to build it. ICT can be used as [an avenue] to build their homes, build their parish… build their country,” he explained.

Obrien told JIS News that he also experienced the power of immersive learning first-hand. While preparing for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Biology examination at Seaforth High, he used virtual reality tools.

“I used the virtual reality headset to go into the body… and I actually learned the different ventricles and the different things that I didn’t know in class,” he said.

He also recalled seeing technology used to assist people with disabilities at an edition of the IntelliBus Hackathon Competition, saying it “brought my mind on the different ways we can use ICT to benefit Jamaica”.

The youngster believes that more Jamaicans should, therefore, embrace emerging technologies rather than fear them. “Most times, persons see ICT as a medium for connectivity and entertainment,” he said, but he insists it can do far more.

On artificial intelligence (AI), he dismissed common anxieties saying, “I don’t think robots will take over… . That’s just a superstition for most people.”

His view is simple: “What you put in, is what you’ll get out.”