Two past students of the Union Methodist School were last week awarded university bursaries by the Past Students’ Organisation of the school.{{more}}

The school, which is also known as the New Grounds School, opened its doors 125 years ago to teach, train and shape the children in the area, from Mt Grenan to Greiggs.

On Wednesday, August 27, the past students of the school, with support from friends, awarded the two university bursaries. Four other students attending secondary schools and Community College also received monthly support tokens to help them during the school year 2014/2015.

The Past Students’ Organisation, which is two years old, is made up of people who attended the Union Methodist School with their friends. It is registered as a non-profit corporation and bears the name Union Methodist Alumni And Friends Scholarship Fund (UMAAFSF).

The two university students who received awards for tuition support are Giselle Baptiste of New Grounds Village and Stevern Cupid of New Adelphi. Baptiste is completing a BSc degree majoring in Math and Physics at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. She expresses her feeling of gratitude and is thankful and appreciates the effort of the organisation.

Cupid is registered at the UWI Open Campus for the course in Early Childhood Development and Family Studies. For her part, she is overwhelmed at the opportunity and is thankful for the support from the UMAAFAF. She has promised to work hard to the best of her ability. She also commended the organisation for the good work, and encourages people to donate to the fund.

Baptiste has been awarded the Gail Holler Bursary, while Cupid is the pioneer first year scholar. Gail Holler is a corporate leader in the USA who specializes in Human Resource Management. She is also an early supporter of the UMA.

The UMAAFSF looks for students from low-income households who perform well in their studies and wish to develop themselves while making a contribution to their families and communities.

The prime mover behind this community project is Ronald Rose in the USA, a former past student of the Union Methodist School. He has been giving assistance to students on a personal basis for many years, before he decided to register this non-profit corporation and invite others to join the effort.

The UMAAFSF intends to provide education support each year to students from the general area which the Union Methodist School serves. The need is great but the vision of the UMAAFSF members is strong and contagious, and people are invited to donate to this fund and help the youth to liberate themselves from the strictures of an uneven society.

On September 10, the organisation will be hosting a ceremony and motivational event in the community to unveil opportunities for study and training to the young and their parents in the area.