Four students from the Marigot area are preparing to leave Dominica for the United States after being selected for the 2026 cohort of the Marigot Development Corporation's US Study Programme, Boarding School Section.
The corporation named Gabrielle St. Jean and Abria among the selected students in a press release announcing the placements. The full cohort of four will take up places at boarding schools in the United States, continuing a programme that has sent young Dominicans abroad for secondary education in previous years.
The Marigot Development Corporation, a community-based organisation on Dominica's north-east coast, runs the US Study Programme as part of its work in education and youth development. The boarding school section places selected students in American institutions for the duration of their secondary studies, with the aim of broadening their academic options and preparing them for university and professional life.
Selection for the programme is competitive and follows an application and assessment process. Families in Marigot and surrounding communities have come to regard the placements as a significant opportunity, and past cohorts have gone on to further study and careers in a range of fields.
The announcement comes as students across Dominica prepare for the new school year. For the four selected, the coming weeks will involve travel arrangements, visa formalities and orientation before they join their new schools in the United States.
The Marigot Development Corporation has not yet released the names of the remaining two students in the 2026 cohort. The organisation said further details on the programme and the students' placements would be provided in due course.
Community organisations across Dominica have long played a role in supporting education, from scholarships and book drives to mentorship and after-school programmes. The MDC's US Study Programme is among the more established of these initiatives, drawing on the support of donors and partners in the United States and at home.
Education remains a central priority for families on the island, where access to advanced secondary and tertiary study often requires travel abroad. Programmes that place students in overseas schools can ease that path, though they also depend on sustained fundraising and volunteer effort.
The four students will join a growing group of MDC alumni who have studied in the United States. The corporation has said it will continue to work with the students and their families throughout their time abroad.
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