November's Caribbean Excellence Ambassador: Denair Sumter

Every month, we at EmpowerU would like to highlight one of many amazing Caribbean students displaying excellence in the region or abroad. This month we are highlighting Sint Maarten’s very own Denair Sumter.

To learn more about Denair Sumter and his amazing accomplishments, check out our interview with him below.

Name: Denair Sumter

Country: Sint Maarten/Suriname

November's Caribbean Excellence Ambassador: Denair Sumter, SXM

Bio: Growing up, I was given an opportunity to create the life I wanted for myself through the guidance of my father and the pampering of my mother. I have always displayed leadership qualities from a very young age and therefore have always had a hunger for success. I was raised in the midst of the men of my family who were building and creating, and so I was attracted to do the same. It was not very easy as I had a will of my own to choose what I wanted, so I did practically everything from mowing lawns to being an insurance broker, finding out what best suited me. I am really energetic and a great communicator. Working in the insurance field helped me to build my confidence and taught me the importance of customer loyalty as I understand my customer's needs. I consider myself hardworking, dependable, reliable, organized and can be counted upon to finish what I start. As I grow older, I continue to develop myself and contributing wherever I see necessary.

Personal Mission: I think there are very few people that would be able to state their life mission because even for me, it is not clear yet what my life's mission is. My focus currently is on my short term goal, which is to attain financial freedom. Financial freedom for me means that my passive income must be greater than my monthly expenses including entertainment, traveling, etc. After I achieve this, I will decide on what's next.

The ability to put things in perspective guides my decision making not only because I think I know what I want but by following a pattern of decisions made by successful people in life.

Career Field: I started as an insurance broker at Henderson International Suriname at the tender age of 19 and have since worked my way up, becoming a driving force in the acquisition department at Henderson International St. Maarten. My ambition is to one day lead the company into a bright future as its leader.

What inspires you:

The thought of becoming greatness!

Who has been your role model and why:

Neil Henderson, he has been my mentor from the moment I came out of high school; he hired and mentored me to the position I am today, and he continues to do still. Mr. Henderson possesses the qualities of an amazing leader; he is very calm, committed, very knowledgeable and skilled in his field of work. Not only has he acquired so much, but looking at him inspires me to do great things.

Accomplishments:

To date, I have become an experienced Insurance Advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. I am skilled in Microsoft Excel, Customer Service, Microsoft Word, Insurance, and Microsoft PowerPoint. I have a strong professional study in International Business at FHR School of Business. In 2019, I had the privilege of attending the JCI Leadership Academy from the JCI Dutch Caribbean in Curacao and was certified as an Influential Leader. In addition to that, I am currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Risk and Insurance Management from CPCU.

What obstacles have you faced as you worked to accomplish your goals? How did you overcome them?

One of the greatest challenges I faced was being my own greatest enemy, refusing to listen to others and their opinion and feeling as though I knew it all. In light of that, I realized that listening to others has helped me to see my flaws and shortcomings and in turn make changes where necessary.

Next steps:

I hope to accomplish my short term goal as mentioned above and will set another goal just after accomplishing that goal.

What do you see for the future of Sint Maarten:

The Caribbean offers some of the most beautiful vacation destinations in the world. I would love to see the Caribbean expand on displaying its diversity of culture and recognize that the largely unrealized potential that most Caribbean nations have to resolve is their alarming economic problems, which lies in placing much greater emphasis on encouraging others to come to their physical location or the seas that surround its location, in order to stimulate externally led future growth.

Advice for others:

My advice to you would be to seek out mentorship from those greater than you.

Know someone you believe is doing amazing things and deserves to be highlighted (it can even be YOU), fill out our survey. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ empoweru.carib and check out our website @empoweru.online