Featuring the diverse profiles of our members, SGAC Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with the Diversity and Gender Equality (Our Giant Leap) Project Group

Trinidad and Tobago, much like its Caribbean neighbours, has been at the centre of numerous power struggles in the past. European monarchs, plantation owners, Indigenous tribes, African slaves, migrants, and imported labourers all fought for land and resources, seeking to lead fortunate lives. The aftermath of such a difficult past is heavy and still lingers on today in the form of polarized politics, centralized decision-making processes, unequal allocation of resources, crime, corruption, and an economy heavily dependent on a waning energy sector. 

Given its history and current challenges, Trinidad and Tobago is slowly entering the international space race but with great difficulty, and the proportion of its inhabitants working in the space sector (or even engaging in space-related activities) is very small. Isaiah Thomas, National Point of Contact for SGAC Trinidad and Tobago, has made it his life-long mission to involve Trinidadians and Tobagonians in space-related activities: he wants to show them that with great motivation, they can overcome their obstacles and reach for the stars.

One of the core values of SGAC and UNOOSA is to enable access to the benefits of space to all humankind – regardless of discriminatory factors such as race, gender, or belief. To celebrate Isaiah’s work, and the power of the SGAC community for helping us connect and dream big, the Diversity and Gender Equality (Our Giant Leap) Project Group of the SGAC is partnering up with SGAC Trinidad and Tobago in the context of Diversity Month. Do you have an untraditional journey in the space sector you would like to tell?  Do you think that diversity in all its forms increases our potential to achieve great things rather than hinders it? Do you believe in the power of space and the SGAC community to help us reach our dream goals? We would love to share your portrait and your thoughts on social media! 

In April 2022, the Diversity and Gender Equality (Our Giant Leap) Project Group of SGAC alongside SGAC Trinidad and Tobago has collected the portraits of diverse SGAC members and showcased them on social media. All final portraits will also appear on the Diversity and Gender Equality Project Group blog.

Let’s show the world that the space sector has room for everyone!