38 students awarded scholarships, grants by Unicomer
Published:Thursday | August 25, 2022 | 12:06 AM
Thirty-eight students were awarded Primary Exit Profile (PEP) and tertiary scholarships and grants through the Unicomer Group’s Dare to Dream scholarship programme.
Speaking at the event held on Tuesday, August 23, at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, managing director of Unicomer, Edwin Vaquerano, congratulated the selected recipients.
“The recipients here have been hand-selected from numerous applications and interviews and represent the best, brightest and most deserving of all applicants. I know that the kids here today are the future leaders of this country and you’re going to make Jamaica even greater,” he said.
Vaquerano added that the programme was aimed at giving back and providing financial assistance to Courts customers or their dependents to support their goals and educational development.
“Dare to Dream is now in its 11th year and we are proud to have been able to assist over 700 students in financing their education. Unicomer Group believes that the pillars of our society would be grounded in educated and empowered people,” he said.
Shirley Moncrieffe, acting director of donor projects at the National Education Trust (NET), said that Unicomer’s Dare to Dream programme is in line with the NET’s mandate to support the education sector and that Unicomer proved to be a good partner to the organisation.
“We support all interventions that make substantial differences in the lives of Jamaica’s children. The Dare to Dream initiative by Courts is one such intervention that has been pivotal in many lives, ensuring that students are able to live their dreams, and also making education an attainable goal,” she said.
The programme provided 28 PEP scholarships valued at $100,00 each for the academic year. In addition to this, four tertiary scholarships were given valued at $400,000 for each year of the recipients’ programme of study, along with a personal mentor. Six tertiary grants were also awarded valued at $250,000 each for the academic year.
Brittany Blidgen, a recipient of the tertiary grant and a second-year nursing student at the Northern Caribbean University, told The Gleaner that she appreciated the grant and thanked God for providing her with the opportunity.
“My faith in God was all worth it. He never fails me. I knew that He would come through for me. So, it makes me feel satisfied that there’s a God up above who attends to all my needs,” she said.