Aguilleira hosts Back To School Programme

An annual initiative coordinated in partnership with LNG producer Atlantic, Aguilleira’s Back to School Programme this year targeted 180 new and existing students of Basse Terre RC Primary and 30 students from Moruga Secondary School, her alma mater. The students and their parents assembled at the Moruga Secondary School for the presentation ceremony.

Camille Salandy, Atlantic’s head of sustainability and corporate communications explained that by partnering with the standout cricketer, the LNG production company was deepening the impact of the Atlantic Sports Ambassadors Programme, which also includes West Indies cricketers Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, and Olympians George Bovell III, Richard Thompson and Andrew Lewis.

“The Atlantic Sports Ambassadors help to inspire the next generation of athletes, the future cricketers, swimmers, sailors and sprinters of Trinidad and Tobago,” Salandy said. “Every year we ask our sports ambassadors to choose an outreach initiative that we can help them with, and this programme by Merissa is exemplary for its focus on enhancing education for children in these communities.” Aguilleira explained that the economic hardships faced by some families often prevented children from accessing their full potential, a situation she was keen to address by leveraging her status as a cricketer for her country and region.

“I’m passionate about cricket and about representing Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies, but I’m just as passionate about helping to contribute to the forward movement of our young people,” Aguilleira said. “With my Back To School Programme, we identify different districts every year whose students we can assist, who we can help set on the right path towards success in the future.” Aguilleira became a member of the national senior team in 2005 and was appointed captain of the squad two years later. She went on to join the West Indies’ women’s team in 2008, and one year later, she was named captain, a position she held until 2015.

In April, Merissa and her team-mates on the West Indies Women’s Cricket Team won the ICC Twenty20 World Cup against Australia in Kolkata.