Because of the support of TeachForth’s donors and community, seven students from Oracabessa, Jamaica, traveled to SummerTech this summer through our Pathways Forward program.
For these students, the experience was much more than a trip. They lived and learned on a college campus, joined a community of young people who shared their interests, and spent focused time developing technology designed to serve the community they call home.
At the center of their experience was Build What Matters, a program that challenged the students to use Python, Java, and 3D modeling to address real needs they recognized in and around Oracabessa.
The seven Pathways Forward students gather at Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport before departing for New York and their SummerTech experience.
Building Technology for Their Community
The students did not begin by asking what kind of project would be easiest to complete. They began by asking a more important question:
What could we build that would be useful to our community?
Efficient Emergency Caller
Khamari Levy and Raheiem Palmer
Khamari and Rahiem designed a system to help people in rural Jamaican communities quickly locate and contact the nearest appropriate police or fire station.
In many rural areas, residents may first contact a central emergency service and then lose valuable time while being redirected to a local station. Their project was designed to make that process faster and more direct.
They also worked through a shared GitHub repository, learning how to coordinate their code, manage changes, and collaborate as a software-development team.
Khamari Levy and Rahiem Palmer developed the Efficient Emergency Caller using a shared GitHub repository.
School Manager
Ethan Lothian and Tavia Thompson
Ethan and Tavia created a shared school-management system for teachers, administrators, and Ministry of Education personnel.
Their goal was to improve the management of student identification, attendance, school security, and physical resources. By reducing repetitive administrative work, the system could help protect school property, improve attendance records, and allow educators to spend more time directly supporting students.
They also used a shared GitHub repository, gaining practical experience working together on a larger software project.
Ethan Lothian and Tavia Thompson designed School Manager to address administrative needs in Jamaican schools.
Fish Identifier
Nathan Lothian
Nathan created Fish Identifier, a tool designed to help fishermen in Oracabessa learn more about the fish they catch.
The program helps users identify a fish, view biological information about the species, and estimate its potential market value.
By combining environmental knowledge with practical information, Nathan’s project could help local fishermen make better selling decisions while building greater awareness of the marine resources around them.
Nathan presents Fish Identifier, a tool designed to help local fishermen identify their catch and better understand its value.
Offline Text Reader
Maurice Williams
Maurice created Offline Text Reader, a tool designed to help people with low vision, blindness, or limited literacy access printed information more easily.
The program allows users to hear written text read aloud without needing an internet connection.
By working offline, Maurice’s project could be especially useful in communities where reliable connectivity is limited or unavailable.
Maurice builds his Offline Text Reader, a tool designed to make printed information more accessible without requiring an internet connection.
More Than Programming
These projects demonstrate what can happen when students are not simply asked to complete an assignment, but are encouraged to identify a problem that matters to them and build something that could help solve it.
The students strengthened their programming skills, but they also practiced teamwork, communication, problem-solving, independence, and leadership.
Most importantly, they began to see themselves not only as technology users, but as people capable of creating technology for others.
In Their Own Words
“If it wasn’t for your investment in me, none of this would have happened. You have given me an opportunity to gain an advantage in the digital world, and I will make proper use of it.
The coding has been an excellent part of the experience, but the real highlight was the SummerTech staff. Watching them work deepened my understanding of leadership and showed me how warmth, confidence, and responsibility can work together.”
Ethan Lothian
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“I found friends who accepted me for exactly who I am. Friends I could laugh with, be weird with, have real conversations with, and simply exist around without feeling like I had to pretend to be someone else.
That’s something I never expected to find, and it’s something I’ll always be grateful for.”
Rahiem Palmer
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“I am truly grateful for the funding that made it possible for me to come to America for the first time. This has been an amazing experience, and I will always remember it.
Thank you for believing in me, giving me this incredible opportunity, and allowing me to meet so many wonderful people. I am especially thankful to SummerTech and TeachForth for making this journey possible.”
Christian Gordon
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“It helped a shy person like me step outside my comfort zone and gain confidence and knowledge I never thought I would have the opportunity to develop.
The camp not only made me better at coding, but also helped me become a better person. It pushed me to aim higher and taught me how to be a stronger leader among my peers.”
Tavia Thompson
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“I’m grateful for mentorship in helping me build coding and technology skills. I will work hard, participate fully, and use what I learn to grow academically and contribute to my community.
Thank you for believing in me and investing in my future. I hope to make you proud.”
Khamari Levy
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“I am truly thankful to Teachforth and the Summertech community for making it possible for the others and me from Jamaica to be here. You have positively impacted our lives more than we can say and we now get to help others in our local coding program, thank you.”
Nathan Lothian
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“One of the most valuable lessons I learned was about leadership. I learned how to speak up, share my ideas with confidence, and make myself seen and heard in the room. I also learned how to work as part of a team, encourage others, and take initiative when solving problems. These are skills that will help me both in school and in my future career.”
Maurice Williams
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Read the student’s complete letters here
Thank You
You helped make this possible.
Your support gave seven students the opportunity to travel from Oracabessa to SummerTech, join a community of young technologists, and build projects rooted in the needs of the place they call home.
This is the kind of work TeachForth was created to do: connect capable young people with meaningful opportunities, strong mentors, and the tools to use what they learn in service of others.
We are grateful that you are part of it.
