Since 1981, some 157 students have benefitted from the Government Employees Cooperative Credit Union’s (GECCU) scholarship program.{{more}}

And Iyana Ferguson, Shane Cadogan, Aranique Jackson, Devron Blugh, Adam Bailey, Tyra Robinson and Afiesha Deroche have joined the list of scholarship recipients as the credit union officially announced the 2012 scholarship and bursary recipients.

Each of the seven recipients, will receive $1,400 annually for the first three years and $1,600 for forms 4 and 5.

The scholarships are valid over a seven-year period at a value of $10,600 annually, per student.

Chairman of the GECCU Scholarship Committee, Mineva Glasgow explained that six of the seven recipients were among the top twenty finishers in this year’s common entrance examination.

Afiesha Deroche qualified as a disadvantaged student who resides in the Grenadines.

According to Glasgow, GECCU has made it a point to assist one disadvantaged student from the Grenadines to ensure that one of the members’ children from that area will have access to a secondary school education.

But these scholarships are based on performance, Clarence Harry, GECCU’s President said.

“You have to do well and you have to maintain a particular academic standard,” he said.

The company invests heavily in its youth, as was evident in the total value of scholarships and bursaries for 2011, which was $93,103, Harry explained.

There is no such thing as a free education, Senior Education Officer for Secondary Schools Carlton Hall said.

And while entities such as GECCU are making an investment in the nation’s youth, Hall urged parents to take up their responsibility.

“From where I sit, too many parents feel that their role is to feed their child, clothe and send the child off to school and the rest is magic,” he said.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Hall contended.

Marla Nanton, 1992 GECCU Scholar and motivational speaker at Wednesday’s ceremony, addressed the recipients.

She uttered the very words that were passed on to her 20 years ago that GECCU scholars were the ‘cream of the crop’.

“It stood out in my mind and they are the cream of the crop and they should remain the cream of the crop,” she said.

She referred to the theme chosen ‘follow your dreams’ saying that dreams were an important part of one’s life.

“You can’t reach a dream that you don’t have and you can’t follow a goal that doesn’t exist,” Nanton told the students.

Activities that you become involved in are very important, she continued, as they either help or hinder you from achieving your goals.

She also cautioned them about the company that they keep, saying that they ought to be very careful with the company they kept.

Finally she spoke of the positive impact of getting involved in an organized group, such as sports clubs where there is a focus on a shared vision.

She explained that as a young child, her involvement in music helped to motivate her and she therefore developed a passion for music.

Passion helps in keeping young minds motivated, she explained.

“You are your best motivator, have high expectations … education is the door to opportunity,” she said. (DD)