A 26-year-old Chevening Scholar from Enterprise, Chaguanas has won a Youth Leadership Award endorsed by the Queen of England.
Meet Teocah Arieal Anika Dove, a former Valedictorian at the Chaguanas Senior Comprehensive, with close to ten years of volunteerism, advocacy and activism experience. Dove is among 60 young leaders from across the British Commonwealth to be awarded with The Queen’s Young Leader Award. She is one of the first young women to receive the award, which recognises exceptional youth who demonstrate leadership in the area of community development.
After graduating from the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of T&T's Associate of Applied Science degree programme in Journalism and Public Relations, Dove completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Communications at the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS), then pursued a Master of Sciences degree in Gender and International Relations as a Chevening Scholar at the University of Bristol.
A statement released by Dove after news broke of the award names SBCS Academic Administration Manager, Abbigail Ajim, as "the only person I call my ROLE MODEL!"
At the core of her success, she said, is a heart for volunteerism and service to humanity.
"I would like my generation to know that while work for monetary gains is a good incentive, volunteering adds a wealth of knowledge and experience to your life which will last your lifetime, beyond finances earned."
The compelling beauty of Teocah Arieal Anika Dove's story is not in her past but her future. In June 2015, she will receive the award from Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace. And it is after that that her real work will continue, as she will be expected to continue her praiseworthy vocation of transforming communities and changing lives.
One big difference? She will now be able to use the prestige, training, mentoring and network that come with an award endorsed by the Queen!
