Mother surprises daughter with big Malta win towards tertiary education

Until recently, ‘lucky’ was not an adjective that administrator Georgia Mitchener would have used to describe herself. The mother of two was overjoyed to learn that she had won $500,000 towards tertiary education – one of two grand prizes in the 2020 Malta Back 2 School Promotion. Mitchener was even happier to surprise her 20-year old daughter, Samantha, with the good news, especially because they needed help with tuition fees.

Now pursuing a BSc in medical dentistry at the University of Technology (UTech), Samantha shared her excitement at learning that her mother had won the prize money. “I thought she was just gonna win maybe the small cash prizes towards back to school. I never expected her to win $500,000 towards my tuition,” said Samantha. “I am in my second year, so this is a big help. My tuition for this semester is $700,000, so the win helps in a big way. I’m very grateful to Malta for this because along with one million in student loans, it’s really easing the burden off my parents.”

Junior Brand Manager for Malta, Melissa-Kim Dunkley, says Samantha’s story shows the impact of the promotion. “We are truly elated that this back-to-school promotion has made a difference for yet another Jamaican family. As an added bonus, it brings me joy to know that we are giving a young person like Samantha a chance to achieve her academic goals by helping to fund her dream. Stories like these give hope for a brighter future,” said Dunkley.

With annual tuition fees of over a million dollars, Samantha’s mother says the prize money has put her mind at ease somewhat, giving the family a little wiggle room. “We also have a 16-year old in high school preparing for CXC exams this school year. It’s not easy, but we will persevere. Winning this prize money is testament to that,” stated Mitchener.

Not an Easy Road

Besides the struggle to cover expenses, Samantha confesses that the road to earning her degree has not been easy so far. She is happy, however, that new ways of learning have made things a little easier. “At first, I didn’t really like having online classes, and it became a bit difficult because I’m the type of person who likes to get up and get ready to go to school. I wasn’t used to waking up just to stay in one place at home all day. Now, I’m getting used to it and it’s getting better as the semester progresses,” she noted.

Explaining how new ways of working have helped her to better schedule and manage her time, Samantha said that since everything is now online, it has given her more time for herself. “Lecturers can actually send the slides before class, so I can read it and make notes. That way, I can understand what the lecturer will be teaching before class begins, rather than sitting down and asking questions while the lesson is in progress. I think that online is better, because I no longer have to travel from St Catherine to Kingston to go to classes. I don’t have to wake up early, and I can work based on my personal schedule.”