Gore Family Foundation awards $2.4m in scholarships to UTech students

RENOWNED CONSTRUCTION giant, Gore Development Limited, through its philanthropic arm, the Gore Family Foundation, presented 10 students of the University of Technology, Jamaica’s Faculty of The Built Environment with scholarships valued at $2.4 million on Thursday, during a formal handover ceremony held at the Shared Facilities Building at the UTech, Jamaica Papine Campus.

The scholarships were presented to seven students from the Caribbean School of Architecture (CSA) and three students pursuing diploma courses at the School of Building and Land Management (SBLM).

Scholarship awardees, Khristina Godffrey, Josan Spooner, Allana Graham, Jade Foster, Asa Saunders and Ajala Kings all from the CSA, received scholarships valued at $250,000 each under the E. Nadine Issacs Memorial Scholarship Programme. One additional scholarship under the programme, valued at $150,000, was presented to Brittney Byfield, also a student from the CSA. The SBLM student awardees, OKene Paisley, Horrace Binns and Janneshia Young received their awards under the foundation’s diploma scholarship programme for construction management.

In his address during the awards ceremony, dean of the Faculty of The Built Environment, Professor Garfield Young, expressed sincere gratitude to the Gore Family Foundation “for its relentless support” of UTech, Jamaica students “through the provision of scholarships and bursaries” over the years.

Professor Young commended the Gore Family Foundation for also recognising “the importance of cross-sectoral collaborative efforts”, adding that the organisation “has maintained its longstanding commitment to the CSA and the SBLM over the years”. He said that “Gore’s involvement also signifies its commitment to national development, which cannot happen without education,” and noted that many students struggle to stay in their programme due to lack of resources.

EXCELLENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCES

Prof Young also thanked the organisation for immortalising the name and sterling contributions of the late E. Nadine Isaacs, first female head of the Caribbean School of Architecture, through the establishment and consistent funding of the memorial scholarship. He congratulated the students for upholding excellent academic performances and their subsequent success of earning their scholarship awards. He made special mention of architect, Patrick Staniger, the first dean of the School of Architecture who recently passed. A moment of silence was observed in his honour and in recognition of his sterling contribution to the architecture fraternity locally and regionally.

Architect Jacquiann Lawton, head of the Caribbean School of Architecture, who in her address gave an overview of the E. Nadine Isaacs Memorial Scholarship, stated that the initiative “endows the spirit of architect Isaacs and inspires very high standards of each recipient”. She thanked the Gore Family Foundation for its unwavering support and for growing and extending the scholarship over the years.

Dr Anetheo Jackson, head of the School of Building and Land Management, also applauded the awardees on their successful accomplishment. Reiterating the point of the significance of education to national development, she told the student awardees, “We are looking on you to do even more for education in general, but also specifically for built environment education.” She stressed the need for having “the brightest minds at the table” in an effort to see responsible development as a nation and as a region and thanked the foundation for helping to remove financial barriers which tend to impede this process for some students.

COMMITTED TO PLAYING ACTIVE ROLE

Special projects manager, Gore Family Foundation, Brandon Burke, noted that the foundation will continue to extend its support to UTech, Jamaica beyond the allocation of scholarships. “A big part of my mandate when I started working with the foundation was to get in touch with past Gore scholars … involve you in the initiatives that we are working on,” he shared, noting the foundation’s commitment to playing an active role in the students’ academic and professional journey.

Two of the scholarship recipients, Ajala Kings and Josan Spooner, who are both pursuing BA degrees in architecture, expressed profound gratitude, noting that the assistance received from the Gore Foundation has tremendously impacted their lives.

Kings shared: “Starting, I really knew that I would not be able to finish the journey on my own based on the limited funds that I had available. After receiving the scholarship for the first time in 2022, it boosted my morals. It allowed me to focus on why I am here and fully take part in the learning.”

Spooner noted that the scholarship “has had an incredibly big impact on me”. She added, “it is just a major breath of fresh air. I can focus on my studies … focus on getting A’s, because there is a difference between when I received the scholarship last year and when I hadn’t in terms of my grades,” explaining that her academic performance was below her standards then as she was not able attend school often due to financial burdens.

The Gore Family Foundation, since 2004, has been a committed sponsor of students at the Caribbean School of Architecture and the School of Building and Land Management. The foundation has also provided work internship and full-time employment opportunities for students and graduates throughout its partnership with the institution.