Byron G. G. L. Jean, a senior at Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, arrived at Logan Airport along with his sisters, Annie and Sophonie, on a hot summer evening in July 1998. That evening was like a dream come true, their parents were waiting impatiently at Logan for the American Airline flight that carried the children from Haiti via Florida.

The family had been separated since 1990. Byron Jean was only six years old when his father, a former high profile human rights activist, left his homeland to escape from political persecution. Byron remained in Haiti with his grandparents. He communicated regularly with his father only by phone and listened attentively to his advice. Sometimes Byron felt sad and abandoned, but he lived with hopes that some day he would join his parents.

July 3, 1998 was the first time the children reunited with their parents after 10 years. Shortly after the plane landed Byron rushed to the lobby and was greeted by his mother, his father and other sisters and brothers who were born in this country. Although Byron missed his hometown boys, he was delighted to be here with parents.

Back home, Byron attended a private congressional school where he had the opportunity to study English, which made his integration into this society a lot smoother. Upon his arrival in this country Byron informed his parents of his plan to join the U.S. Marine Corp after high school . . . news that certainly stunned his father. Obviously that was not his expectation, but he agreed that the decision to join a great Corp like the U.S. Marine Corp would be a noble choice. The motive of Byron’s aspiration is believed to originate from the result of the U.S. troops mission in Haiti and its positive impacts on the life of the Haitian people. However, thinking that his decision may have been premature, his father advised him to explore all of the available opportunities that may be very attractive. But Byron seemed to have a deep conviction in his devotion to serve in the Marine Corp.

A few days after his arrival in the U.S., Byron began helping his father with his computer business where he started learning about computer hardware and operating systems; he also spent time with his stepmother practicing application software and web design. According to his parents, friends and instructors, Byron is disciplined and gifted with the ability to observe and learn fast. It did not take him long to become accustomed to troubleshooting and repairing computers.

Byron’s academic achievements attracted the attention of his teachers. In spring 1998, with the assistance of his computer/ information processing teacher Mrs. McCoullough, Byron obtained a financial award from NFTE (the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship). He used this award to start his own business; he bought inexpensive products from wholesalers and resold them in his neighborhood. Later, he started "T’s for you", a business consisting of putting computerized custom messages on T-shirts. The same year, he received another financial award for being one of the finalists who represented Madison Park in a regional entrepreneurial contest. "I would not have made it without Mrs. McCoullough, she is a great instructor," said Byron after the competition.

Byron is proud of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and his teachers. Madison Park Technical Vocational High is unique, the kids who want to succeed find a support network available to help make their dreams come true. Mrs. McCoullough used her weekends to help the kids finish up their projects; she took them to shopping centers with the purpose of exposing them to the real business world. And according to Byron, sometimes she spent her own money to help him realize his projects. Last summer, Mrs. McCoullough placed Byron at PUTNAM, a world wide investment company that has offices in Boston, London and Tokyo. He worked there for nearly eight weeks experiencing advanced computer technology and their applications in business.

Byron participated in a team of volunteers that engaged in fixing computers on behalf of local schools. He also joined the ROTC in his school and helps design the Caribbean Community Web Site. He plans to attend Northeastern University next year to become a computer engineer like his father, although joining the U.S. Marine Corp remains his priority.