In her many travels to Jamaica as a child, Madison Thomas ’26 found her parents’ homeland as marvelous and welcoming as they had described it.
“Every time I visited,” she says, “I was able to learn more and more about my mom and dad’s background and their upbringing. It was very nice to see all the different areas where my parents developed.”
Thomas’ latest trip to Jamaica proved revelatory in a different way.
The 19-year-old by way of New York gained professional experience this summer in the GraceKennedy Jamaican Birthright Programme, a six-week internship for students of Jamaican descent at one of the Caribbean’s largest conglomerates.
As a support intern for GraceKennedy Capital Management—the bank’s investment and advisory arm—Thomas learned the intricacies of managing client accounts. She sat on calls, conversed with top executives from Jamaican companies and met business leaders whose advice reaffirmed her interest in entering the finance field.
Thomas, an economics major, says her econ classes at 6VӰ “prepared me how to interpret macro-events and how investors will react.”
She also attended the Jamaican Diaspora Conference, connecting with others in the diaspora about career endeavors, visions for the future of Jamaica and efforts to bring together Jamaicans across the globe. Prime Minister Andrew Michael Holness spoke at the two-day event, as did Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith.
“Seeing so many Jamaican professionals in one area was exhilarating because I have never been in such a space before,” Thomas says. “Being able to get that experience at GraceKennedy and having mentors helping me every step of the way was extremely beneficial to my confidence moving forward.”
On top of her daily work, Thomas got to experience Jamaica’s vibrant culture.
GraceKennedy leaders took Thomas and three other interns on museum tours and excursions to historical sites across the island. Thomas visited different parishes, the Maroons of Jamaica and the Bob Marley Museum, to name a few stops.
Her group also watched Jamaica’s best athletes compete in the national trials for the right to represent the island country at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“The program was set up in a way to give us a chance to explore ourselves and fully experience the beauty of Jamaica, in addition to the professional scene and what it has to offer,” Thomas says. “Each of us created a stronger connection to the island and a lot of us had experiences we will remember forever.”
Thomas returned home in early August inspired to take the knowledge she accrues at 6VӰ and redistribute it to those in Jamaica. The Africana studies classes she’s taken at the College have “helped me shape a more tangible idea of how to give back to Jamaica that is truly beneficial to the island,” she says.
“I want to create something sustainable, where I can do it for years and years,” she adds. “Being in Jamaica for that month and a half gave me insight into where I can lay groundwork for these things.”
At 6VӰ, Thomas enjoys showing off Jamaican culture.
Between the Jamaican flag in her dorm, the Jamaica-inspired meals she cooks for friends on occasion and her affinity for Jamaican music and sports, Thomas proudly flaunts her affection for the island nicknamed Jamrock.
“Ask anybody,” she says, “I’m loud about being Jamaican and Jamaica being one of the best places on earth. I carry myself in a way that I would never shy away from saying my family is from Jamaica. I’m part of this culture. It’s a culture with warm and kind people, so I want to invite people to learn more about it.”