Generation 2000

Collin Virgo was born at the Hargreaves Memorial Hospital in the cool hills of Manchester. He is the son of Dorcas Virgo, a teacher from the district of Asia who has been teaching our children for nearly forty years, first at the Frankfield Primary and then at May Day High in Southern Manchester. He is also the son of Ed Virgo, who started out as a detective of police in South Manchester in the 1970’s, before moving on to the Area 3 CIB Headquarters in Mandeville.

Collin proved to be an exceptional student from day one, and graduated at the top of the class from the Mt. St. Joseph Academy. He went on to further excel at Manchester High School, before moving on to the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. His excellence has also been demonstrated beyond the academics, by his contribution and involvement over the years in a range of activities and organizations.

His involvement includes five terms as an elected Student Council Representative, onto being appointed a Senior Prefect and his nomination as Head Boy. He served as President of the Quiz Club and Captain of the Manchester High School’s Challenge Quiz team. He also served on the Executive of the Drama Club, the Environmental Society, Tourism Action Club, the Debating Society, Key Club, the Youth Fellowship of the Emmanuel Missionary Church, the National Missionary Youth Movement, among many others. He is a long standing member of his hometown based AYAEDEH! Theatre Players, in which he has held lead roles in several productions, and has represented Jamaica nationally, in the Caribbean and in Europe. In 2001, he was appointed Youth Ambassador and Youth Parliamentarian, and was subsequently selected from a field of sixty to represent Jamaica at the United Nations Summit in New York.

The record of service and performance continued, and while at the University of the West Indies he created history by being the first person to be elected to hold four offices on the Guild of Students in three years. He served as Hall Chairman of the Aston Preston Hall, Part Time Students’ Representative, Public Relations Officer and General Secretary. He also served as General Secretary, and was integral in the successful resuscitation, of what had been a dormant Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students.

On the political side he was a founding member of the Mona Campus Youth League, launched in 2001 as the first Chapter of the young professional arm of the Jamaica Labour Party, Generation 2000 (G2K). He went on to become that Organization’s fourth and youngest General Secretary, and is also a member of both the Central Executive and the Standing Committee of the Jamaica Labour Party.

He is the recipient of several academic, competitive and civic awards including the Pat Parkins Award for Academic Excellence, Certificates of Excellence for both Leadership and Service from the Mona Campus, the University of the West Indies Premier Award for Service (to the University and wider community), the Chris Tufton Award for Debating, Manchester High School Civic Award (for service to the school and wider community), the Kiwanis International (Key Club’s) Kurt Hanson Award for Service, the Rex Nettleford Hall Alumni Award (for contribution to the Hall of Residence and University as an alumni), in addition to receiving plaques from the Jamaica National Preparatory Committee and the Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students for service beyond the call of duty.

He has served on a number of public and private boards including the Office of Placement and Career Services (U.W.I. Mona), the Jamaica National Preparatory Committee, the Mona Academic Board, the National Missionary Youth Movement of the Missionary Church Association of Jamaica, Generation 2000 (G2K), the Jamaica 4H Clubs, the National Board of Supervision (Infirmaries and Places of Safety), the Mines and Quarries Commission, the National Transformation Programme, the Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards, the Standards Council, Jamaica Bureau of Standards, the National Youth Ambassadors Programme, the Jamaica Bauxite Mining/Bauxite and Alumina Trading Company (BATCO), the Wigton Wind Farm and Chairman of the National Quality Awards.