Rosegold Foundation assists eight students with scholarships and bursaries

Eight students who have worked hard and demonstrated potential have been awarded scholarships and bursaries from the Rosegold Foundation.

Malique Baptiste of Owia, Ashanta Jacobs of Fancy, Raverco Mayers of Fitz-Hughes, Brielle Robertson of Cane Hall, Gianna Stapleton of Fairbain Pasture, and Cienna Tesheira of Belmont received scholarships, while Nairobi Patterson and Jolena Westfield of Chateaubelair received one-time bursaries from Nel Rose and her husband David Goldstein.

“This scholarship is a recognition of your immense potential and hard work. Education is like a magic key that can unlock any door, taking you wherever you dream to go, whether that is a cool job, a far off place, or just a better understanding of the world and how it works,” Rose told the students during the presentation ceremony at Gate 3 restaurant on August 8.

“Seeing the qualities of resilience in these 11 and 12-year-olds is like witnessing young superheroes in action, and it fills my heart with so much joy and hope for the future. Helping them in their journeys and being a small part of their stories is nothing but an honour and one of the best investments we can make. We want them to learn all they can learn in order to be what they want to be.”

She called on the students to “embrace the challenges, stay strong, visualize your future, and keep dreaming big.”

Addressing the parents, Rose said: “You have obviously done a wonderful job with your kids and played a huge part in their academic success, and we want to help you continue doing that.”

The Rosegold Foundation was started in 2023, but according to Rose, “the idea has been brewing in my head since about 2014.”

She said that the idea came during travels with her husband in Greece, “and we saw a big sign that said ‘Gold Rose’ and we took a picture underneath it.”

A native of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Rose spoke of how thrilled she was to be “coming home and reconnecting with my roots, and being able to help these beautiful, smart, and resilient children who have weathered through both Covid and the volcano eruption, which really rocked local communities, displacing families, disrupting education, stressing health services, damaging infrastructure, and putting a serious dent in the local economy.”