BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - EIGHT students entering High Schools have been awarded scholarship grants, and their parents and guardians can be rest assured that financial help will follow them throughout those next few years when handling back to school expenses.
These eight students were, on Saturday (Sept. 1), awarded with the Warren C. Tyson Memorial Scholarships, a grant allowing them EC$750 each year compliments the TDC Group of Companies to be used to help defray costs which are sometimes a burden to some parents and guardians.
The lucky students are: Dhakiya Liburd of the Charlestown Secondary School, Laquiana Daniel of Gingerland Secondary, Akeema Jones of Basseterre High, Lesroy Queeley Jr. of Verchilds High, Annica Carey of Saddlers Secondary, Rheyana Davis of Cayon High, Namibia Clavier of the Washington Archibald High School, and Petrez Williams of the Charles E. Mills Secondary School.
Marking the 31st instalment of the Scholarship Programme, the ceremony took place at the Training Room of the TDC Fort Street building, under the theme “Celebrating Thirty-one (31) years of Responsible Citizenship”, which according to TDC’s Chairman, Mr. D. Michael Morton, aptly describes one of TDC's objective.
Morton, while congratulating the awardees, emphasized that this scholarship programme is one that TDC considers to be a critical one, having been geared towards molding minds, and the building of the most important resource - the human resource, more importantly the young people.
"I want you to see this as an opportunity, a unique opportunity, an opportunity which is envied by many others. See it as a stepping stone for tomorrow and to grasp it and make use of it because we today unfortunately can only do this," he told the awardees.
Sound words of advice were given to the Scholarship recipients by Londie Esdaille who is a former scholarship awardee.
She stressed the value of presentation which she said is something she learnt while interning at TDC years ago.
"I would like for you to remember today, it is important to look at what TDC is doing for you, the investment that they are making in your lives. TDC is expecting to receive something in return. They are expecting that when your name is called, the Directors do not have to hang their head in shame because of the behaviour that is attached to the report that is attached to your name but that they can lift their head high and say 'yes that is one of my students, that is one who I helped'," she said.
She encouraged the awardees to stay away from gangs, and not to allow themselves to be pressured into doing what they are not supposed to do, and to do whatever they aspire to do, too, to the best of their abilities.
She left them with a Bible verse to consider - Proverbs 4:7 which read, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting, get understanding".
The TDC Warren Tyson Scholarship Programme, which was named after the first Chairman, Warren Cecil Tyson, was started in 1981. Each year, five students from St. Kitts and two from Nevis are recruited. Since its inception, approximately 194 students have gone through the programme with an excess of EC$750 000 being put towards bringing benefit to the nation’s youths.
