Dominique Harajchi, 12th grade student at St. Andrew’s School is the 17th female student, who will accompany the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Immigration as a part of his official delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 24th - 27th, 2011. Dominique won the 17th Annual United Nations Essay Competition, sponsored by Zonta Club of Nassau.

Janet Johnson, 2010-2012 President of Zonta, concluded that the Essay Competition was keenly contested with 26 applicants from schools throughout the islands of the Bahamas and three schools emerging as finalists, St. Andrews, St. Anne’s, and S C Bootle in Abaco. The judges considered the essays of the finalists to be imaginative, focused, well-researched and overall good reading. It was Harajchi's creative writing style, wit and insight on 'The Bahamas Role in Maintaining International Peace and Security' that gave her the winning edge. Judging the competition were Mr. Joshua Sears, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majorie Brooks-Jones, Dean, Faculty Liberal & Fine Arts, College of The Bahamas and Ms. Felicity Johnson, Vice President Legal Regulatory & Interconnection, BTC.

Last year, Markia Bowe, now Head Girl of Queen's College was awarded the exclusive opportunity to travel as Zonta's representative . She said her trip was fascinating, especially the fact that she was the guest of honor of the Hon. Minister. She was particularly thrilled as she listened to Hon. Brent Symonette delivering his address. She felt like a 'true, true diplomat and certainly a proud Bahamian. Dominique is hopeful of a similar unforgettable experience and looking forward to the session, exposure to the diverse culture, networking with students from around the world, and visiting Ground Zero, the inspiration behind her writing. Zonta International maintains a seat at the United Nations through its United Nations Committee and its presence is also marked with seats at UN sites in Vienna, Paris, New York and Geneva. Zonta’s consultative status is evident in noteworthy programmes developed through UNICEF, UNIFEM and CARE. This year Zonta will again host the 25th Annual United Nations Ecumenical Church Service at Christ Church Cathedral on UN Flag Day 23rd October, 2011 and all are invited to attend.

Zontian Ruthann Rolle, Coordinator of the Competition applauded President Janet and Zonta's Executive board for allowing male entries for the first time. Twenty-five percent of the applicants were male and out of the top three essays, 2 were male entries. Zonta, a Club that fosters honesty and trustworthiness, while advancing the status of women, recognizes that it is very necessary to include males in its youth Clubs and for this particular exercise get their views as it relates to further developing our nations contribution to World Peace and safety. Zonta, sponsors, a number of educational initiatives inclusive of scholarship opportunities, back-to-school assistance, the Z Clubs in secondary schools, and the Golden Z Club in the College of The Bahamas. Zonta's Z Club and Golden Z Club Programmes were established in 1948 internationally and is one of Zonta's longest-running programmes. There are presently 207 Z and Golden Z clubs in 16 countries worldwide, a unique opportunity for our young people to network across the globe. One of Zonta - Nassau Club's biennial goals is to reactivate its Z Clubs to develop leadership skills, promote career exploration, serve the community and improve global understanding through service and advocacy.

The Zonta Club of Nassau meets every fourth Thursday of the month at Luciano's at 1 pm.