Diaspora, community groups to make scholarship awards

TORONTO:

When 70 Black and Caribbean students start their post-secondary education this year, they will receive help with their tuition costs through scholarships totalling over CAD$80,000.

Two organisations, the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) and United Achievers’ Club (UAC), will make the awards in September.

Yolande Davidson, chair of the JCA Scholarship Awards Program, said 58 scholarships valued at just over $70,000 will be awarded. Since its inception, the programme has offered over $500,000 in scholarships. Twelve students will receive $1000 each from the United Achievers’ Club.

Some former recipients had high praises for the initiative to provide financial for needy Caribbean and black students and offered advice to prospective applicants.

Gabrielle Forbes-Cultess, a second-year student at McMaster and recipient of the 2023 Buchanan Family Scholarship, said scholarships from Caribbean organisations like the JCA allowed her to go to school with a greater purpose.

“It has allowed me to get more involved socially, try new things, and push myself out of my comfort zone. When I first started estimating the cost of university in Canada, even as a domestic student, I found that with the additional costs of housing, textbooks, and general student fees, suddenly university would cost me upwards of $25,000. That is a sum that would have been a huge weight on my shoulders and would have remained a hurdle for my education, if not for the JCA.”

Her advice to new undergraduate students is to research all the ways their community is willing to support them.

“I never realised there were so many Caribbean organisations devoted to helping students after high school. And it is worth spending a day or two looking for external funding or special opportunities. Every aspect of yourself, from your drive to succeed to community involvement can become the factors that JCA is looking to support - so it is always worth it to apply.”

INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES

Fenton Jagdeo Jr, managing partner, Jagdeo Ventures and the youngest Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Commissioner in the organisation’s history, received the 2013 Youth and Education Fund Scholarship and the 2014 Dr Ezra Nesbeth Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship.

“The JCA scholarship was imperative to graduating. I chose a very competitive and expensive undergraduate degree in a city I did not live in, without the money to pay for it. Every dollar counts, and to be supported by my cultural community is priceless. I’m grateful for the JCA and their maniacal focus on progressing the educational pursuits of the Black and Caribbean students,” he said.

His advice to students is to be intentional about the things they want to study.

Tiffany Harris, senior controller, Hospital for Sick Children, recipient of the 2003 Marcus Mosiah Garvey Scholarship, and current donor of the Tiffany Harris Scholarship, said as an undergraduate student the scholarship helped her to focus on her studies and took away some of the financial burden of university.

“Scholarships like this one, along with working part time, allowed me to graduate university without any student loan debt. But I would say that the scholarship helped me beyond my undergraduate education. It connected me to some amazing people in the JCA and the Jamaican community that led to some incredible opportunities. Post university, I ended up being a board member and treasurer of the Jamaica 50 celebrations in Toronto in 2012. I learned so much in the three years sitting on that board about the community, running successful events, leadership and governance and created lifelong friendships and connections.”

She urged students to apply for scholarships even if they think they are not 100 per cent qualified.

PROUD MOMENT

Marlene Gaynair, a professor of history, Washington State University, specialises in the histories of the United States, Canada, and British Caribbean during the twentieth century. She was the recipient of the 2009 Rohan Robinson Bursary.

“I was able to use the money to pay for school fees/books for my final year at York University. I remember attending the JCA scholarship ceremony and being on stage with other grateful students. It was a proud moment to be celebrated by the Jamaican community because you could see the pride in the elders’ eyes.”

She said the bursary was a source of pride for her and is listed on her curriculum vita and resumes.

“Find a mentor, especially if you are a first-generation student. Mentors can be anywhere: work, school, church, etc. I battled with imposter syndrome and felt crippled with self-doubt and anxiety. Having various mentors from different places in life motivated and encouraged me to keep going. For example, I would reach out to alumni groups, elders at church, or people in my prospective field. I would speak with teachers and other educators to helped me make well-informed decisions for my future. I knew I wanted to go to grad school, so I reached out to the faculty, particularly black ones. I looked for other black students. I think that it’s okay to have self-doubt but know that you are not the only one,” she advised.

The UAC’s 40th annual scholarship awards will be held on September 14 at the Mississauga Grand Banquet and Event Centre; Adam Holness, a law enforcement professional and youth mentor, will be the keynote speaker at the 22nd annual scholarship ceremony at the Jamaican Canadian Community Centre on September 21.