Gateway giving out millions to gifted students

Western Bureau:

Ornell Bedasse, the chief executive officer at Gateway Co-operative Credit Union, says the credit union has provided $7 million worth of scholarships and bursaries to 375 students from the county of Cornwall for the last 25 years.

He said that 125 primary-school students who sat the United Kingdom's Common Entrance examination and the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) benefited from a full five-year scholarship covering their secondary education, and 250 received bursaries during the period. Bedasse made the disclosure while addressing last Friday's GSAT luncheon and awards ceremony in Montego Bay.

Gateway has provided 15 students, who will be attending Herbert Morrison Technical, Montego Bay High and Westwood High schools, with full scholarships for the academic years 2018 to 2023.

"The average score of the five scholarship winners is 93 per cent. We set the standards to maintain the scholarship; they (students) have to have at least 75 per cent every year in terms of their school exams," said Bedasse.

Pleased with performance

He said that the credit union was pleased with the overall performances of the students who have received scholarships throughout the years, pointing out that several of them had become notable professionals, including lawyers, doctors and engineers.

"We are particularly proud of one recipient, Dr Nicole Nation. She has done very well. She just graduated two years ago from medical school and is about to embark on a scholarship in London to study community health," Bedasse disclosed.

"Dr Nation, who is a 2014 scholarship recipient, really grew up in our hands as a credit union baby, so we are particularly proud of her, [and] her father works at the credit union as the security officer," added Bedasse.

Bedasse said that the credit union would continue to give scholarships and bursaries, arguing that "we are operating in the community and the community supports us, and we should support the community".