KCCU awards 58 students with scholarship, Bursaries

Over ten thousand dollars worth of bursaries and scholarship prizes were awarded to fifty-eight students at the 14th Annual Kingstown Co-operative Credit Union (KCCU) Scholarship Award Ceremony on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, at the Peace Memorial Hall in Kingstown.{{more}}

The KCCU awarded scholarships and bursaries to children of its members who were successful in the 2009 Common Entrance Exam (CEE). Five-year scholarships were awarded to 11-year-old Luwiann Simmons of Diamond and 12-year-old Jeremy Jervis of Murray’s Village, while two bursary awards were given to Philicia Ashton and Madison Corea. Fifty-four one off monetary donations were also given to the remaining successful CEE applicants.

The two scholarship recipients will receive $1,000 annually for their five years in secondary school. Bursary recipients Ashton and Corea received $500 bursaries, while the other fifty-four students each received $100 donations.

Delivering the feature address at the ceremony, Grenville Williams Director (Ag.) of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) urged the children gathered to make great use of the opportunity of a secondary education. “The opportunities that an education affords you are limitless as your own imagination,” he said.

Williams also implored the students to set high standards for themselves, urging them to “let excellence be the mark by which your work is measured.”

Reminding the students of the importance of this particular moment in their lives, Williams added that secondary school life will be challenging as they will face many difficulties and undergo mental and physical changes. Williams, however, advised the students to adopt the slogan used by President Barack Obama in trying times. “Whenever you have doubts in your mind as to how far you can reach, just say “Yes, I can!”

Williams also called on parents to involve themselves in the lives of their children as they, too, play a pivotal role in their children’s educational development.

Also giving remarks, Michael John, President of the KCCU Board of Directors, urged parents to take the education of their children very seriously. “Be the watchdog of your child. Don’t leave them up to teachers alone,” he said.

He also congratulated the successful CEE students, hailing them as winners, as they have excelled in their education.

There are currently ten KCCU scholarship recipients in secondary school and over ninety thousand dollars have been awarded in scholarships to date. Twent-six students have benefited from the scholarship programme, with the first scholarship recipient being Felix Bowman who currently works with the KCCU as a web designer.(OS)