Meet our Interns – Attieke and Syka!
Last year we launched the Women at the Helm Internship program for local Antiguan females to join our team and get the first experience in the sailing industry. We are thrilled to be able to continue the program for the second year, and for this season two ambitious Antiguan women – Attieke and Shyka will be joining us at Second Star Sailing Caribbean!
Similar to previous year, they will be joining us every step of the way – at management and bookings, base and boat maintenance, organising daily life and events at the school, and most importantly – sailing courses. This year Attieke and Shyka will take on significant projects with local communities, that we can’t wait to share with you!
Shyka Luckie-Hannays
I have been in the water since infancy; I learnt to swim at a very young age. I was drawn to applying for this internship in an effort to broaden my horizons and to prove to myself that it is never too late to explore new ventures, new career paths. I hope to inspire mature Antiguan women to take that leap of faith from dreaming to living their dream. Having a degree in education and working on a masters in project management, the addition of sailing skills will sharpen my youth and community development skill set.
My interest in sailing stemmed from coordinating an Easter camp for one of the clubs in Antigua, where swimming, sailing and sports took centre stage. I would love to be trained in anything sailing to be more hands on at the adventure camps.
Attieke DeSouza
I am Attieke, 24 years old and a born and raised Antiguan. I applied for the Women at the Helm Internship because after doing my powerboat course, I had no clue what I wanted to do next, and I did not know where to start. I was already following the school on Instagram which is how I found out about the program, and I saw how interactive and hands-on the courses were, so I went on their site and read more about it. In doing my powerboat course and joining the Antigua and Barbuda Search and Rescue team I became even more interested in the maritime industry, and I did more research and I decided this is an industry that I want to be apart of.
In joining the program my expectations are to learn as much as I can, assist the school in any way that I can, gain new skills through the courses and figure out my career path. I would also love to help the school be more visible as the work they are doing especially the Women at the Helm program is something that is needed in Antigua to give women the opportunity to be apart of the local sailing community. I also hope to educate and sensitize people about the many opportunities that are available here in Antigua and even abroad.
So far, I am really enjoying the program and I love that they have involved us in the daily running of the school and the preparations of the boats for the season. Everyone on the team is amazing and are always willing to explain things and answer any questions that we may have. I think this team will make this entire program very fun and educational and I look forward to learning more about sailing for the next few months.