Dain Dixon is Unstoppable!
Challenged student impresses at FLOW/JA Biztown Tech Camp
DAIN DIXON, a 14-year-old resident of Woodford Park, Kingston, is a rising star. He is jovial, an avid sports fan, and says his sights are keenly set on a career in technology, before becoming the prime minister of Jamaica, of course.
Having recently been awarded the title of ‘Most Improved Student’ during the weeklong FLOW/JA Biztown Tech Camp, Dixon is already preparing to achieve his career goals as he gets ready for his third year of studies at Papine High School.
What is not easily recognised, however, is that Dixon is a fighter. He was born with “a hole in his heart” (atrial septal defect) and suffers from a speech impediment. He is one of five children who live with his father, a single parent. A painter by profession, Dain Dixon Sr is determined to ensure that his son takes full advantage of opportunities that he did not himself have growing up.
“Dain is a blessed child who knows that he has to work extra hard to succeed because of the challenges he faces. With hard work and motivation, Dain’s speech impediment is improving. He is not shy, and by being friendly and active, he has managed to overcome many of the difficulties that people in his position would simply accept,” said Dain Sr.
VERY PROUD
He shared that it was his son who had researched and registered for the tech camp before asking permission to participate. “I am glad that he did. I am very proud of him,” he said.
Dixon was part of the group of approximately 80 students who participated in the weeklong FLOW/JA Biztown Tech Camp in August.
“The best part of the camp was learning about technology and getting to understand more about how businesses operate. The field trip to FLOW and the video competition were also fun as I got to do it with my new friends,” Dixon said
In discussing Dixon’s performance at the camp, Alphie Mullings-Aiken, president of Junior Achievement Jamaica, said that she was really impressed with his willingness to get involved in all activities and to learn the new technological concepts that were taught during the camp.
“Having so ably learnt and implemented the concepts taught, he was the clear winner of the Most Improved Student Award,” Mullings-Aiken said.
FLOW Jamaica, the exclusive sponsor for the camp, which has been running for the past three years, contributed to the technological curriculum during the week of activities and hosted a video competition.
During the camp, the participants were charged with developing a 30second commercial to market their businesses.
Dixon was part of the winning group that created a commercial to advertise Guardsman Limited.
“We were extremely impressed by the commercial created for the Guardsman Group and Dixon’s role
in bringing it to life. We truly feel that he has a promising future in the technology industry, and, one day, we hope to welcome him to FLOW,” said Errol Miller, executive chairman of the FLOW Foundation.
All tech camp participants hailed from communities in the south eastern St Andrew area and were exposed to a curriculum of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Dain is a blessed child who knows that he has to work extra hard to succeed because of the challenges he faces. He has managed to overcome many of the difficulties that people in his position would simply accept.