He Didn’t Want to Attend. Now He’s One of NTRC’s MyApp Valedictorians 

By S.Browne. Updated 8:55 p.m., Friday, August 14, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Rowel Mack did not initially want to attend the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission’s (NTRC) 2026 MyApp Summer Programme. Two weeks later, he was named one of three valedictorians of the programme, earning the honour for its final session held at St Vincent Grammar School.

Shashana Defreitas was named valedictorian of the session held at Union Island Secondary School, while Zoran Shallow received the honour for the session held at Mountain View Adventist Academy in Mesopotamia.

The 2026 programme ran for five weeks, from July 13 to August 14, and involved 67 students across three sessions. The first session, held at Union Island Secondary School from July 13 to 24, involved 21 students. The second, held at Mountain View Adventist Academy from July 27 to August 7, involved 18 students, while 28 students took part in the final session at St Vincent Grammar School.

For Mack, the experience began with little enthusiasm.

“To be honest, when I first heard about the Summer Programme, I really didn’t want to come,” Mack said during his valedictorian address.

“I was a little unsure of what to expect, but I decided to give it a try, and I’m really glad I did. In fact, I never imagined that I would end up standing here today as a valedictorian.”

Over the two weeks, Mack and the other participants in the final session learned the basics of programming using the Micro:bit before moving into robotics. Using LEGO Spike Prime kits, they built and programmed robots to respond to sensors and complete different challenges.

Mack said the experience showed him that coding involved more than working with computers.

“It’s about creativity, problem solving, patience, and not giving up when things don’t work the first time,” he said.

The students also had to troubleshoot when their robots did not behave as expected.

“Sometimes our robots went in the wrong direction or didn’t do what we told them to do, but we learned to find the problem, fix it and try again,” Mack said.

He also identified teamwork as one of the major lessons from the programme.

“We had to share ideas, communicate, help one another and work together to solve the problems,” he said.

The final session also included educational visits to the St Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) power plant in Cane Hall and St Vincent Brewery in Campden Park.

Students later demonstrated their robots at the closing ceremony, explaining how colour sensors and a gyroscope enabled the machines to navigate a course, make turns and stop at designated points.

MyApp Summer Programme instructor Kish France said the initiative was designed to help students recognise how information and communication technology skills could be used beyond the programme.

“The NTRC MyApp Summer Programme aims to foster the independence of the students by showing them what skills in ICT can do for them and for others in their life,” France said.

France said the two week period was relatively short, making it important for the students, their parents and teachers to continue building on what they had learned.

NTRC Consumer and Public Relations Manager Rhea Lewis said the programme has been part of the commission’s youth development efforts for the past decade.

“For the past decade, the NTRC has remained committed to using technology as a tool for youth development and ensuring that students across St Vincent and the Grenadines have opportunities to learn, explore and engage with technology,” Lewis said.

Lewis also encouraged the participants to continue developing their skills and remain open to learning.

“Ask questions, explore new ideas, and do not be afraid to make mistakes, because some of our greatest lessons come from the challenges that we face,” she said.

“You have learned how to think creatively, solve problems, work collaboratively, and turn ideas into meaningful solutions.”

As the three session valedictorians, Defreitas, Shallow and Mack each received a laptop compliments of FLOW and an opportunity to participate in the Robotics Category of the NTRC’s iCode784 Competition later this year. Mack will also have the opportunity to form a two member team for the competition.

The NTRC thanked the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Innovation and Digital Transformation and Information, the participating schools, parents, instructors, partners and sponsors for supporting the 2026 programme.

Now in its 10th year, the MyApp Summer Programme continues to give young people opportunities to explore technology, develop practical skills and build their confidence in coding and robotics.

END