Scholarships named in honour of senior J’can student

Three full academic scholarships to The University of the West Indies (UWI), Jamaica for the upcoming academic year have been named in honour of Violet N Edwards, the oldest Jamaican to have graduated from college in 2022 at 96 years old.

The scholarships announced by the Violet N Edwards Scholarship Committee are valued at $400,000.

“We are thrilled to continue the legacy of Violet N Edwards by offering these prestigious scholarships to deserving students,” Vernon Derby, local coordinator of the bursaries, noted in a release. “This scholarship represents more than just financial support; it is a recognition of dedication, resilience, and the potential to make a positive impact on society.”

Heading the scholarship committee is US-based attorney, Everett A. Smith, who noted, “It is an honour to be part of an initiative that celebrates academic excellence and invests in the future leaders of Jamaica. We look forward to receiving applications from talented individuals who embody the values of the scholarship.”

The release outlined that “the scholarship embodies the spirit of determination, perseverance, and community engagement. With the aim of empowering future generations, the scholarship not only covers full tuition, but also includes a stipend for each recipient, allowing them to excel in their academic endeavours.”

Interested candidates may apply for the scholarships as of May 1 at the Office of Student Financing, The University of the West Indies. Detailed information regarding eligibility criteria and the application process may be found on the Website of the Office of Student Financial Affairs at the University of the West Indies.

Jamaica-born Edwards, who put her education on hold for years as she put her daughter through medical school and raised her two grandsons, graduated with an associate degree in science and liberal arts from Mercy College in June 2022.

Born in Portland, Jamaica, the Happy Grove High School graduate spent her entire career in the Jamaican postal service, rising to regional inspector for the eastern end of the island before migrating to the United States in 1973. Edwards settled in New York before moving to Maryland, and later, Florida, where the family moved in 1999.

Edwards said that she credits COVID for giving her the drive to go for her degree.

“I was stuck in Jamaica for about four months because of COVID, and while there, I started searching through things and came across my records showing that I had credits from the (now-defunct) College of New Rochelle,” she said in an earlier Gleaner interview.

Edwards reached out to the College of New Rochelle and found that her transcripts and other records had been transferred to Mercy College when New Rochelle College closed.

“I contacted Mercy College, and I was informed that I have credits that would allow me to pursue my degree, so I began taking courses online. It was challenging because I was unfamiliar with working online, but I pursued, and the end result is that I successfully earned my degree,” she said.

According to the new graduate, her records showed that she had more than 84 credits towards her degree and a grade point average of 4.

The elder Edwards said that she had been guided by the sage advice of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, kept toiling upward through the night.”

“It inspired me because it tells me that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it,” she said.

Jamaica’s consul general to Miami, Oliver Mair, presented Edwards with a proclamation from the consulate in recognition of her achievement.