JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation awards $10m in scholarships

The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation awarded $10m in scholarships to students at the secondary and tertiary levels, to help bridge the financial gap of these students and allow them to realise their dreams.

Thirty secondary students drawn from each parish were awarded $60,000 each, totalling $1.8m, to cover the cost of tuition and school-related expenses. These scholarships were presented in recognition of the JMMB Group’s 30th anniversary, and serve to honour the memory of the late co-founder of JMMB, Joan Duncan.

Additionally, 17 students enrolled at a local university received $6.8m in new scholarships for their final year of enrolment. The foundation also disbursed $1.4m to existing tertiary scholarship recipients. The funding will cover the cost of tuition, books and/or other expenses.

The competitive application process saw over 600 applicants being shortlisted and interviewed, with the recipients being selected based on their financial circumstances; academic performance; and involvement in extracurricular activities or voluntary work in their schools and/or communities.

Speaking at the recent handover ceremony held for the secondary school recipients at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, Patricia Sutherland, chairman of the foundation, encouraged the students to “believe in yourselves and the power of choice, to unlock your inner greatness by making positive choices that will transform your lives and make your parents proud”.

HOLISTIC SUPPORT

In addition to the financial support provided by the foundation, all scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to participate in online training sessions led by the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation team. Kim Mair, CEO of the foundation, shared, “We believe in the holistic development of individuals and, as such, we want to provide our scholarship recipients with the tools they need to transform their lives, build healthy relationships, shift their mindset and unearth their greatness. As such, our transformational training will cover self-awareness; reflection paradigm-shifting; critical thinking; and visioning, among other areas.” She added, “Our tertiary beneficiaries are also offered career guidance through an initiative dubbed the ‘Leadership, Involvement and Innovation, Financial Literacy & Education (LIFE) Accelerator’ programme.”

The scholarship programme is a part of the foundation’s mandate to support youth and nation-building through education and transformational training.