Proud of my countryman

I CELEBRATE when people elevate and have a passion to elevate others too. When it is centred on people in my hometown, Bartica, I celebrate even more. Bartica is only one square mile but is the birthplace of many great people who are making a difference around the world.  When people are intentional about adding value to our future leaders, we must applaud them and Dr Collin A. Ferreira is among those people. He is the founder of the Bartica Research Institute for Educational Empowerment (BRIEE).

BRIEE is a non-profit educational organisation founded and managed by a cadre of highly accomplished, passionate, and dedicated Barticians in the diaspora. BRIEE was established on January 1, 2019. From August 14, 2020, they have provided several professional development programmes to teachers, school leaders, football coaches, referees, and other professionals. The mission is to provide free best-practices training programmes to youths, K-12 educators, school administrators, and other public servants aimed at filling the skills and knowledge gaps that exist in the public and private sectors of Guyana.

Collin Ferreira is an international K-12 Mathematics specialist, a college Mathematics professor, founder, philanthropist, author of three widely used Mathematics and educational textbooks, business and educational consultant, and PhD dissertation editor among several others. Dr. Ferreira, a 26-plus years veteran Mathematics educator, is an industrious, dedicated, and distinguished educator who is passionate about and committed to effecting positive social changes by creating innovative educational programmes aimed at closing the disparities that exist in K-12 and post-secondary education, specifically gender academic achievement gaps and the under-representation of girls and women in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Dr. Ferreira is a proud Guyanese and Bartican who has had a long and distinguished career.

Dr. Ferreira has served in many leadership positions, including department chair for Mathematics and Information Technology in Guyana, The Bahamas, North Carolina, and Texas. He is a graduate of the Cyril Potter College of Education, University of Guyana, Nova Southeastern University, and several other leading universities in the United States, resulting in multiple degrees including doctorate and master’s degrees. Dr. Ferreira is a competent and highly effective teacher with his state assessment Mathematics scores being ranked among the top in the states of North Carolina and Texas. Dr. Ferreira currently serves as a high school Advanced Statistics, Advanced Algebra 2, and dual credit Mathematics professor in Texas, USA

I am super proud of this young man because I am aware of his humble upbringing in our small village that is now a town. He was my sister Nicole’s classmate and his sister Dianne Ferreira -James (Vice president of BRIEE),  is another distinguished Bartican who is an international referee was my classmate and friend. She has made Guyana proud of her achievements in the sports arena. Other vice-presidents are Hugh Ferreira, Nadia De Costa, Andrew Boyan, Ron Jeffrey and the director of training is Jennifer Smith.

BRIEE Live SpanMath Classes commenced and are held every Saturday on Zoom from 12:00pm to 2:30pm, where students from across Guyana are taught by highly effective, experienced, and passionate Guyanese Mathematics and Spanish teachers residing in the United States and The Bahamas. Some important accomplishments are listed below.
• More than 100 K-12 teachers have benefited from our 21st-century professional development programmes

.More than 400 secondary school students have attended our live and interactive Mathematics and Spanish Classes taught by trained, competent, and experienced teachers.

• More than 200 students have recovered approximately 100 hours of lost instructional time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Our EWC Programme focuses on empowering key stakeholders in students’ educational journeys.

• Students from all the top secondary schools, including Queen’s College, Bishops’ High School, President’s College, St. Ignatius High School, Berbice High School, and Three Miles Secondary School among many others, and almost all regions of Guyana are members of the BRIEE Live SpanMath classes.

I read some of the testimonials of the benefits received from parents and students
The last year has been very challenging for many, including students and teachers and I am excited to know that a programme NIS contributing to many lives.
Collin is also pouring into the lives of his three amazing sons who are part of the reason he is so motivated. I think he may be up for the Father-of-the-Year award, because of his dedication to his sons. We need more fathers like that to be role models for our future leaders.

I do wish only the best for BRIEE as they pledge to honour their motto, “To promote empowerment, equity, and equality by breaking down barriers to accessing quality educational programmes”

I encourage you to  visit the  website at https://www.briee.org/  and share this info with someone who may benefit, as we continue to celebrate this beautiful journey called life BEYOND THE RUNWAY.

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