Avia Ustanny, Outlook Writer

Brothers Kirk (left) and Samuel Morgan. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Laure Morgan, 57-year-old assistant librarian and part-time French tutor at St. Hugh's High School in Kingston, is capable of talking a mile a minute when the subject is her sons.

The woman of Haitian descent speaks with the rapid-fire accent of the land of her birth where she was raised by a father who was a lawyer, and a dressmaker mother.

Married to Jamaican Carlton Morgan (deceased policeman) and the mother of five children, today we chat with her about the two sons - Kirk and Samuel Morgan - who have turned out to be mathematics whizzes, and who have dedicated much of their time to helping others who think that the subject is as impenetrable as Haitian Creole.

Internationally, college graduates with a bachelor's degree in mathematics can qualify for a broad range of positions in business, industry, government ment and education. Companies in the computer and communications industries employ many mathematicians as do oil companies, banks, insurance companies and consulting firms. Mathematicians may also find careers in government agencies ranging from health, general accounting, energy, defence, national aeronautics to national security. Mathematics may also consider careers in statistics, actuarial studies, and computer science.

When her husband died in 1995 from hypertension, the family of Laure Morgan had to leave Kingston and go back to the country - St. Thomas - to get his father's family assistance. Only later were they able to return to the city to live. Kirk, the oldest son, has also helped greatly as he took brother Samuel to live with him in Kingston.

Kirk, his mother states has always been very helpful. "He tries his best in everything."

Kirk Morgan who is now an assistant lecturer at the University of the West Indies where he has his eyes set on pursuing the doctoral programme in mathematics.

He is currently pursuing the master of philosophy programme in the subject and has lived up to the promise of his early years at Papine Secondary and Kingston Technical where he consistently placed at the top of his class.

In 2002, Kirk graduated from the University of the West Indies with a bachelors degree - a double major in computer science and mathematics. Brother Samuel followed in his footsteps, also completing a bachelors degree - a double major in computer science and mathematics.

Kirk Morgan, winner of a USAID scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, also posses an Associate degree in computer science from this university. In high school, he was a recipient of the Edmund Bartlett Scholarship and, later, he benefited from National Housing Trust scholarships while at the UWI.

Kirk now specialises in database management systems, artificial intelligence, operating systems, object-oriented programming and design, computer communications and networks and much more.

Brother Samuel Morgan, currently employed as a Programmer and Software Developer at Mona GeoInformatics Ltd, now spends his time designing and developing software around Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). In September of 2006, he represented this company at the Free and Open Source Software for GeoInformatics (FOSS4G2006) Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Early in November 2006, Samuel was also one of two Jamaican students (the other one was a medical student at the University of the West Indies) who were awarded fellowships by the Ministry of Commerce, Science and Technology, and by the International Telecommunications Union to represent Jamaica in the Youth Forum at the World Telecom Conference 2006 in Hong Kong.

Samuel, his mother said, spent many of his earliest years crying about school but also showed early skills in mathematics.

Laure Morgan states, "Sammy was always crying, (he was the last child), but he was very, very intelligent. He was the one who read. While he was supposed to be in infant school they placed him in a higher grade.

"He used to cry after me. He did not want to stay at school, but today he has done so well. He was an astounding reader at six and attracted the attention of teachers in primary school. He passed his Common Entrance Examination the year his father died, but he went on to Wolmer's and did very well."

The very first major extracurricular activity in which Samuel became involved was School's Challenge Quiz, and during his fifth form year (1999-2000) at Wolmer's Boys' School, he was selected Team Captain.

In lower sixth form at Wolmers' Boys' School, he was elected Student's Council President and selected as a Prefect. These opportunities served as his first formal introduction to leadership and service. The following year, he was elected National President of the Tourism Action Club, which is an affiliate of The Jamaica Tourist Board for which he currently holds the distinction of being the longest serving president in the organisation's history. The position of National President was also accompanied by membership on the Youth Advisory Committee to the Minister of Tourism.

In 2002, he was selected Junior Mayor for the Kingston and St. Andrew Cooperation (KSAC), and in 2003, he was one of three students from Ardenne (where he completed sixth form) selected to represent Jamaica at the Presidential Classroom "Future World Leader's Summit" in Washington DC

At Wolmer's Boys' School, where each year he was awarded certificates of academic excellence at the annual prize giving ceremonies, in 2003, as a personal challenge, he attempted five subjects at the GCE A'Level Examinations along with General Paper, among the five was Biology which he taught himself in the same year without prior study at the CXC level. He was successful at all of them.

In the year 2004, Samuel was awarded the top scholarship at the University of the West Indies, the UWI Open Scholarship for top performance in the UWI Scholarship examinations.

Both Kirk and Samuel have spent significant amounts of time tutoring others in Mathematics. Kirk was a volunteer teacher at his alma mater, Papine Secondary (now High) and has freely taught CXC mathematics to many - including former co-workers at the National Housing Trust - over the years.

While a student of The University of the West Indies, Samuel Morgan, along with fellow students, established the August Town Academic Clinic where CXC Subjects were freely taught to adults who wanted to continue their education. In the programme he was the main teacher of CXC Mathematics. The programme was identified as a successful initiative by Omar Davies, Minister of Finance, who approached the organisers to assist with the formation of a similar programme within his constituency; this was called the ACE (Adult Continuing Education) Programme.

According to Laure Morgan, she raised her five children with the help of God, her credit union (Jamaica Teacher's Association) and the kindness of strangers. Her other children are Daniel Morgan, public relations specialist, Carlton Morgan Jr. and only daughter, Paula, who stays at home to look after her brother Carlton who is disabled.

"I believe in God," says Laure Morgan.

"I say to other single or widowed mothers, trust the Lord and lift up your eyes to hills from whence comes your help. He will help you. The Lord will come and supply your needs. Never give up. Lean not on your own understanding. Also, if you can help yourself by helping someone, even in washing and cooking, you should so."

Researchers state that parents can also help their children by encouraging critical thinking. By providing your child with strong pre-math skills, you prepare him/her for success in school and beyond.