News

"The youth are the hope of our future." (Quote)

Article by: Proud of Them (GIS) | Janaury 31, 2018 

Jennelle McLaughlin, 25, is being recognized by the Proud of Them initiative for her commitment to Community Service. At Elmslie Memorial United Church, Jennelle is known for her humility , conscientiousness, calm demeanour and willingness to assist others. Her life is replete with examples of service to the Cayman Islands through her involvement in various Christian ministries at her church including those of youth, music, Sunday school, dance and mentoring. Her participation in these ministries has been especially significant as a teacher in the church’s Friday night and Sunday school programmes. Jennelle plays a key role in planning and staging the Sunday school’s annual Christmas productions and quarterly Youth Sundays and is a role model to teenagers and pre-teens at Elmslie.

Jennelle became a member of the Cayman Islands Girls’ Brigade, an organisation known
for its Christian outreach locally and internationally, when she was only four-years-old.
She has been a member of the George Town company for the past 20 years, and has
travelled as far as Australia and Africa as part of a team representing the Cayman Islands
Girls’ Brigade. A further outlet for her devotion to community service is Jennelle’s
active involvement with Special Olympics in the Cayman Islands. Starting during her
high school Key Club years, it is a cause she has rededicated her commitment to since
returning from university in the United Kingdom.

While community service is central to Jennelle’s life, she has always balanced it with a strong need to advance academically. Before starting tertiary education at Bedford University in England, Jennelle graduated from Cayman Prep and High School with passes in nine subjects. She went on to consistently make her university’s honour roll and graduated with a second class upper division bachelor of sciences degree in accounting and finance with honours in 2015. Jennelle is currently looking to pursue the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification to become a certified accountant while working full-time at Scotia Bank.

The Proud of Them initiative recognizes the positive achievements of young people between the ages of 10 and 25. Through a public nomination process, individuals are honored in various categories. Each person selected is featured for six months on billboards across the Cayman Islands and receives a certificate and $500.