2020 Governor-General Achievement Awardee and Ambassador for the I Believe Initative, Crystal Scale [right] is awarded a plaque by Custos Rotulorum for Manchester, Garfield Green [left] during a virtual award ceremony on Thursday, February 11, 2021.

Photo Credit: Mikhail Henry

By: Katrich Walker

Manchester, Jamaica- Northern Caribbean University (NCU) student and 2018 Miss Manchester Festival Queen, Crystal Scale was among the Awardees of the 2020 Governor-General Achievement Awards (GGAA) for the parish of Manchester.

The ceremony, which was deferred to 2021, was held virtually on Thursday, February 11, on the  Governor General’s Programme of Excellence (GGPE) YouTube Channel and other social media platforms.

Scale, who is a 2nd-year student in NCU’s Department of Communication Studies (DCS), copped the award in the 18-24 age group Category for Manchester. She said the award is humbling and encourages her to be bold and to continue working hard as well as to continue to help others around her.

“Receiving the Governor General Achievement Award from the 18 to 24 category for Manchester is beyond humbling. I feel a sense of disbelief at times because I never set out to receive an award when I was going to school.” 

The 24-year-old cited this achievement to God and those who nurtured her for service from a tender age.

“I know that even though my name is on this award, I feel as though this isn’t necessarily something that I would have done. All my successes are as a result of what I truly do believe is God’s work in my life.” 

Scale, who is also an ambassador for the Governor General’s I Believe Initiative, told the Hilltop Trumpet that as an awardee she will continue to grow and develop her parish.

“My plans for Manchester as a Governor-General Achievement Awardee is to continue to personally grow and professionally grow so I can take the knowledge that I have, the insights about situations or concerns, of challenges, or need and aim to mobilize the relevant assistance that is needed.”

The Governor General’s I Believe Initiative was launched in 2011 and is a values-based initiative under the GGPE. The GGPE was established in 2014 as the secretariat for the two major social programmes affiliated with the Office of the Governor-General; the other being the GGAA which was established in 1991.

Scale shared that she also aims to complete some projects that she had started in 2020 for various places in Manchester as well as to start some additional projects that were a part of her drive when she was crowned Festival Queen for Manchester in 2018.

Other Manchester awardees included NCU and DCS Alumni, Monique Ingram from the 25-35 category and Patricia Reid from the over 35 category.