Pioneer mother named Outstanding Young Person

Sylvana Brannon, managing director of Smart Cells Malta Ltd, has won the third edition of Junior Chamber International's (JCI) Malta's Outstanding Young Person of the Year Award (TOYP).

The presentation ceremony was held at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, St Julians in collaboration with HSBC Bank Malta plc, KPMG Malta and the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise.

The award gives credit to young people who manage to make other people's lives better through their skills.

Ms Brannon is the first Maltese mother to store her child's cord blood. Stem cells, isolated and stored from the newborn's collected umbilical cord after birth, are used to treat diseases and disorders and other treatment.

Labour MEP Joseph Muscat won the Political, Legal and Governmental Affairs category while Andrew Alamango won the Cultural Achievement category for his local Etnika Project.

Marco Cremona won the Moral and Environmental Leadership Category and will soon assess the re-use potential of storm water in Malta.

Josette Falzon, whose daughter was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and has worked to raise awareness of the condition and raises funds for research, won the Humanitarian and Voluntary Leadership category.

Connie Bezzina, renowned for her research on the genetic basis of cardiac arrhythmia, won the Scientific and Technological Development section.

Amy Joan Zahra won the Personal Improvement and Accomplishment category after surviving meningitis and founded the organisation Amy's Friends.

The award winners will be nominated as Malta's entries for the international JCI competition for The Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World.

Winners of this international award will be honoured next year during the JCI World Congress to be held in Antalya, Turkey.