(From left) Samantha Charles, CEO, VM Foundation; is joined by scholarship recipients Shanice Derby, Erlado Holmes, Coyotito Rose, Sarah Williams, Georgiana Weir, and Joshua Reid, following the Surrey staging of the VM Foundation’s Scholars Programme awards ceremony on Wednesday, September 11, at the VM Building Society Half-Way Tree location.
The VM Foundation has awarded some $7 million in new scholarships and bursaries to 74 secondary and tertiary students, strengthening its advocacy for educational access through its 2024 Scholars Programme.
This year, tertiary students benefitted from the newly introduced partnership with the University of Technology (UTech, Ja) to offer a scholarship to a student entering the second year of undergraduate studies in the Faculty of the Built Environment, as well as the VM Foundation Pensioners’ Bursary.
The scholars also received awards including the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Bursary, Junior Plan Scholarship, awarded to the top PEP student in each county; the tertiary-level Future Plan Scholarship, the STEM (science, technology, education, mathematics) Scholarship and the Master Plan Scholarship, awarded to tertiary students.
During an award ceremony on Wednesday (September 11) at the VM Building Society Half-Way Tree branch, VM Foundation CEO Samantha Charles shared that at the core of the VM Foundation’s mission to drive youth development is our commitment to advance and promote the educational empowerment for our Jamaican students.
“Today, we’re reiterating this mission by giving our scholars the opportunity to develop their talents to the fullest, regardless of background, family dynamic, or socio-economic status. We believe that everyone has the right to receive a high quality and relevant education.”
Through its digital application platform, the Foundation received approximately 317 application submissions for the various bursaries and scholarships this year, which while it speaks to the needs, it reinforced the importance for the Foundation to continue widening the programme’s offerings.
Eraldo Holmes, who received the new VM Foundation UTech Ja. scholarship to support his studies in Quantity Surveying, conveyed his appreciation to the VM Foundation team for this invaluable support of his educational journey. “I’m elated to be the recipient of this award, this is an extreme honour and to the VM Foundation, I will not let you down, I will continue to succeed and make you proud,” Eraldo added.
Meanwhile, Coyotito Rose, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science at Utech who copped the STEM Scholarship said: “While I was hopeful, I still didn’t think I would receive this scholarship, but I’m very happy and thankful that I did. It confirms the belief that there is indeed good reward for hard work.”
The scholarship recipients will also benefit from mentorship, which is another component of the award’s package in the scholarship programme, to connect them with professionals in their various academic disciplines, and empower them with the necessary skills for success in today’s competitive world.
Charles added: “We remain committed to playing an active role in shaping the futures of the next generation in positive ways, believing that learning is both lifelong and life-wide, occurring in multiple contexts within a learner’s life. With this, our scholarship programme will offer our scholars mentorship to support more holistic development. We firmly stand on the desire to ‘transform your everyday’ and we’re steadfast in achieving this outcome.”
The VM Foundation scholarship awards ceremony took place on September 11 and 12 at respective VM locations in the Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey counties.
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Contact: Clover Moore
Assistant Vice President Group Corporate Affairs & Communications
876-383-2724 | clover.moore@myvmgroup.com
