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Shergaun Roserie's Journey to the Silicone Forrest
Shergaun Roserie uses his passion for STEM to create a more advanced Caribbean.
by Stefanie Gouveia
Being nominated, much less selected as a finalist for the esteemed Commonwealth Youth Awards, is a remarkable achievement in itself, but for Shergaun Roserie, he adds this to his many earned accolades. With a hunger for knowledge and a drive to succeed, among his many feats, his most notable accomplishments can be witnessed in his active commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal-8 – by front-end loading the learning system to create sustainable and equitable economic growth for all workers, irrespective of their background, race or gender, Shergaun’s visionary work in making technology mainstream and accessible, aims ultimately to prepare our region’s youth for the future of work.
Currently a mechanical engineer at Microsoft, Shergaun’s path to a career in STEM began to seamlessly unfold in 2016 at the age of 16, his first official introduction to engineering through the Student Program for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE). A rigorous 4-week programme for skilled high school students, Shergaun and 4 other peers were assigned to the UWI Barbados campus to undertake an intensive curriculum of 8 university level courses. While difficult, the experience left him with a keen desire to further his STEM education and the realisation of the widespread influence and potential impact of STEM practitioners, “One practitioner in STEM could produce one solution, but that one solution can have a great impact on millions of people”.
In 2017, Shergaun and 3 other students represented St. Lucia in the Global Robotics Challenge held in Washington DC. Despite performing well, the team observed the apparent digital disparity between themselves and their first-world opponents, particularly in their access to advanced technology and engineering processes. This awareness planted an idea to start a venture which would bear a mission to build an environment for learning and exposing students to STEM education. Shergaun went on to graduate from Sir Arthur Lewis College in 2019 and then to work for the Ministry of Education, championing the implementation of STEM initiatives in school’s curriculums. The experience underscored for Shergaun the significance of STEM education and its direct correlation to improvement on student’s lives and future careers, which, as he expressed, “gave me so much joy seeing the students being empowered and the doors that were opening for them.”
In 2020, his 2017 venture concept was born into Orbtronics, founded by himself and co-founder Keeghan Patrick.
Today, Orbtronics is an engineering company which offers software and hardware services for organizations along with an Orbtronics Junior programme (ages 11-16) and Digital Literacy programme (ages 16-45), currently available to residents of St. Lucia, in the hope of empowering young people in STEM education and building a secure, well connected tech community across the Caribbean. As the STEM industry continues to evolve, its role is no longer confined to the classroom but an integrated element of everyday life, which is mirrored through Orbtronics’ teaching style. The programmes provide exposure to newer technologies like Chat GPT and systems for more project-based learning, creating unique teaching methods by incorporating different disciplines that curate a far more integrated approach to education delivery.
The Orbtronics Junior programme is a 3-week programme for students across the island, with a background in STEM, and which teaches the fundamental skills of robotics & programming. During either summer or winter break, students are given 10-12 days with instructors to learn about basic skills in programming, functions, conditional programming and more and closes with a final project. Shergaun shared on a previous cycle which taught on 4 major topic areas – AI, Designing, Programming and Digital Media. The students presented a business idea encompassing a marketing strategy and a revenue model.
The Digital Literacy programme is a bit less technical as it selects a community and hosts a 4-Saturday workshop accommodating persons working and out of school. Each Saturday covers 1-2 modules with topics ranging from data driven decision-making, AI, cybersecurity, along with business skills and life skills.
A central aspect of the programmes is the incorporation of varying subject areas which blend theory and a practical approach, to build skillsets that foster critical thinking and to equip youth with the tools for problem solving. Students can then transfer these learnings into the advancement of their communities. Shergaun is proud of his young graduates. He says of one, “A young female student, who participated in our first Orbtronics summer programme went on to do exceptional things for her community; hosting programming classes for her community and school. She is also a national awardee for a technology initiative and is currently furthering her education in biotechnology.” The programmes not only provide a foundational knowledge but act as a springboard to further learning and opportunities within the industry.
Aside from teaching, Orbtronics recognizes the role technology has in contributing to a better society in how it creates software and hardware solutions to address contemporary and critical societal issues. For example, an ongoing procurement issue faced in the Caribbean is the countless number of Government contracts that go unanswered or are unfairly assigned to suppliers due to nepotism, lack of resources or insufficient spread of information. RIFBID is a platform designed to adequately inform and aptly connect regional suppliers with Government proposals. The platform leverages AI technology to help SME’s match with the right tenders, provide guidance and templates for winning submissions and help suppliers create strong networks across the Caribbean.
Another critical issue is that of crime reduction. Crime detection is often thwarted by fear to report criminal actions or perpetrators. The company understands the need for and importance of community collaboration and participation in curbing crime. In St. Lucia, the WiPatrol platform serves as a notice board where reports and information on criminal activity can be submitted anonymously, giving St. Lucians a voice and an active part in mitigating crime while also providing a sense of security.
So, what does the future for STEM in the Caribbean look like? Much like the iconic ‘Silicone Valley’, for Shergaun, it’s a growing, strongly connected “Silicone Forest”. His vision for the Silicone Forest is to embed an ecosystem for technology driven initiatives, not only through entrepreneurs but technologically apt persons contributing to its foundation and creating networks for regional sustainable tech businesses.
The region is teeming with highly skilled individuals and a growing digital economy which Orbtronics is taking advantage of by building linkages and beneficial partnerships regionally and internationally to craftily grow the digital landscape. Their educational programmes and the technology services puts the company well on the way as the premier regional technology hub that will eventually be a primary resource for talent for the market, inter-isle partnerships and job opportunities in the digital economy.
As he reflects, Shergaun’s core motivator remains the same, “When I work and make plans for Orbtronics, my thoughts are; I need to give back to my community and need to keep improving my country and my region”.
If you’re interested in collaborating or learning more about Shergaun Roserie and Orbtronics visit: Orbtronics.co Or contact: info@orbtronicsltd.com or shergaun@orbtronicsltd.com
