Tower Summer 2022
Montverde Academy's digital magazine The Tower, for alumni, family and friends.
Montverde Academy's digital magazine The Tower, for alumni, family and friends.
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Jena expresses the same affection for the Academy as<br />
her older sister, “Coming from a small island my extended<br />
family was filled with questions and there were many<br />
preconceived notions of what boarding school would<br />
be like, but MVA ended up being the opposite of that. It<br />
was such a joy to come to Montverde Academy...Being<br />
at Montverde Academy was one of the most beautiful<br />
experiences of my life because the friends I made there<br />
I still have today. Students, especially from the boarding<br />
program, were from all over the world but no one stood<br />
out. We just all got along, and it was beautiful.”<br />
The foundation MVA gave me<br />
was everything I needed to<br />
succeed in business because of<br />
the confidence I gained, and<br />
the love and security I felt from<br />
teachers and my dorm parents.<br />
I gained so many valuable assets<br />
that allowed me to develop as a<br />
human and as an entrepreneur.<br />
Jena also authored a book on marriage preparedness<br />
called Ring Ready: A Practical Playbook on How to<br />
Find, Keep and Marry Mr. Right, which she wrote for a<br />
community of women she felt had a vacuum of resources<br />
on how to have a healthy long-term relationship. She<br />
hopes to draft more books in the future and to work<br />
closely with young women helping them to know their<br />
value. In 2020, she and her husband bought a high-end<br />
store located in a bustling tourist area in downtown Turks<br />
Island where they sell fragrances, fine jewelry, and are<br />
the island’s exclusive Pandora ® dealer.<br />
Jena says, “The foundation Montverde Academy gave me<br />
was everything I needed to succeed in business because<br />
of the confidence I gained, and the love and security I felt<br />
from teachers and my dorm parents. I gained so many<br />
valuable assets that allowed me to develop as a human<br />
and as an entrepreneur.”<br />
When we asked the Messam sisters if they had any<br />
advice to give our current MVA students they said: “Focus<br />
on what you do to improve the school and make life<br />
better. Be solution-oriented. Embrace what you have now,<br />
do not complain but enjoy the beauty of the experience<br />
you are in.”<br />
Jena Messam Janse<br />
As a student the routines that were put in place were<br />
sometimes difficult, but Jena believes it contributed to her<br />
being a responsible adult. She remembers being on the<br />
judicial committee, the debate team, and track and field,<br />
and participating in drama and the weekend activities that<br />
came with the being a boarding student.<br />
Jena Messam<br />
Janse ʼ07<br />
When asked about the path her life has taken and<br />
the role the Academy played, she says, “MVA was<br />
foundational in my life. It felt like more than an education;<br />
it felt like a community and a family.”<br />
After graduation, Jena Messam Janse went to Lynn<br />
University in Boca Raton. She graduated with a Bachelor<br />
of Science in International Business in 2011. After<br />
college, she returned to the Caribbean and worked<br />
as a brand manager for one of the largest beverage<br />
distributors in Nassau, Bahamas. She then relocated<br />
back to Turks Island in a similar position where she met<br />
her husband Robin Jane and they now have a beautiful<br />
2-year-old daughter, Sahalie Janse.<br />
Johnna Messam ʼ03<br />
THE TOWER | SUMMER <strong>2022</strong> 57
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