Young scholars receive VM Foundation scholarships/bursaries

Kanton Hardy, the young author who wowed Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other state officials with the book he wrote at eight, was among 57 recipients of a scholarship/bursary, courtesy of the Victoria Mutual Foundation on Saturday.

Hardy was awarded a bursary valued at $50,000 to assist him with school expenses, as he begins his high school journey at the Ardenne High School. The former Meadowbrook Preparatory School student is the author of The Adventures of Goober: The Alien from Mars. The book has been endorsed by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr Grace McLean, among others.

“He is so multifaceted, it is unbelievable,” said his mother, Tavia Bell Hardy, of her son who is now 11 years old.

The fact that he is a bursary recipient is another major achievement for Kanton.

“He has always done exceptionally well. He is always one of the youngest in his class, but he is always right up there where the older kids are,” said his mother.

Kanton is currently enjoying online classes, which doesn’t come as a surprise to Bell Hardy, who noted that his father is an information technology manager. The youngster is, however, eager for COVID-19 to be a thing of the past, so he can start attending some science fairs.

Fellow awardee, Paris McKay, would much rather in-person classes, but for now, she is doing the best she can online, as she begins her first term at her school of choice, St Andrew High. It has been a rough period for the 12-year-old whose father died recently from pancreatic cancer.

“He passed just before she went to high school, so he wasn’t able to see the achievement,” said her mother, Carole McKay.

Paris’s brother, 15-year-old Justin, is a student at Campion College and also won a scholarship from Sagicor when we was about to start his high school journey. He has been a tower of strength for his sister since their father died, although their dad did what he could to prepare them for the inevitable.

“He gave them a lot of guidance where high school was concerned, and he did tell them to continue to work hard, and he did say to her, just follow in your brother’s footsteps because he knew she was going to do well academically,” McKay said.

“We did prepare them. We are going through the process of grief, it is still quite difficult for them. Although we expected it, we are still trying to come to terms with it,” she said.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Paris, who wants to be a dermatologist, said her father’s words have been guiding her.

“He told me to focus on school and to focus on my education, and he said that I should do good in it,” she said.

Manager for the Victoria Mutual Foundation, Naketa West, said each of the recipients demonstrated academic excellence, were student savers and had a need.

“We are in a partnership, it is mutual. We are not just with you in our banks, we are with you in the classroom as well,” she said.

The students were awarded under the foundation’s Junior Plan Head-Start Scholarship and PEP Bursary programme. Three scholarships were awarded overall, each to a child representing one of the counties. Nathan Fuller, who now attends Campion College, has been awarded the scholarship for Surrey, while Lauralee Henry, who also attends Campion college, bagged the scholarship for Middlesex. Gianna Ellis, who secured a placement at Montego Bay High, got the scholarship for Cornwall. They each received $50,000 for their first year and will be getting $50,000 each year for the next four years.

The Head-Start Scholarship Programme has formed a part of the bank’s schools savings initiative for more than 30 years. The scholarship recipients are usually recognised and presented with their scholarships and bursaries at an annual scholarship award, but that was not the case this year.

“We were quite aware of the impact of COVID-19. What we did was to contact their parents and to assess if they were comfortable to meet us at one of our locations to have a photo opportunity. We knew that we would not execute a ceremony in the typical fashion, so we wanted to go regionally and meet them where they are,” West explained.

Chief executive officer for the Victoria Mutual Group and chairman for the foundation, Courtney Campbell, wrote a letter to the recipients encouraging them on their journey.

“We had the opportunity to talk to each student. It was a little bit more personal,” West said.