NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 26 SCHOLARSHIPS TO GO F A URE | THE GLEANE | THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 BRITNEY WILLIAMS lived in an environment where it was possible to dream big, and later accomplish that dream along the course that was crafted for it. Williams, daughter of a J. Wray & Nephew Ltd employee, attended Immaculate Conception High School from 2011 to 2018. So by time tertiary scholarships became available, she was in themix to get one of them, which she did in 2018 by enrolling at The University of the West Indies, Mona, and later transferred to the St Augustine campus, Trinidad andTobago. At the end of it all, she earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical and process engineering. She said the scholarship created a kind of red carpet atmosphere, and is encouraging other high school leavers to go searching for the academic gold mine that is out there. “My first interaction with the JWN Foundation would have been at one of the events when I was in high school. I was introduced to everybody responsible for the foundation. I knew I was in the right place,” she said. “In the same way, it continued with me into my tertiary education and it helped in terms of family, for me to actually move out of Jamaica, get access to information and actually come back and give back to a company here,” Williams, who is now a junior projects engineer at J. Wray & Nephew continued. Having got so much from the scholarship, and cognizant of what receiving support to further one’s education means, Britney has turned to her alma mater to, as she puts it, “give back to an institution that moulded me heavily in every way possible.” “I am trying to get involved with my school’s alumnae. Also, I recently went back to my high school and had conversations with some grade-nine students, they are choosing subjects at this time and trying to figure out what direction to head into. I told them to do research, go online, look into scholarships, look into availability, these things are not just going to pop up, you have to do the research. “That’s the only way I found out about a lot of scholarships and opportunities in general. Scholarships are like large stepping stones that allow you to come close to the dream that you have, whether it is to become an engineer, a doctor, or something else,”Williams said. Britney Williams, J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation Scholarship Recipient. CONTRIBUTED MARINE ENGINEER Jevonnie Fennell has a message for young people seeking scholarships: “Don’t think limits. The world is ours.” The profound words come as he reflects on his achievements thus far, having profited from a J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation scholarship to study for four years at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU). “This is a transformer. I have to extend my sincere gratitude to the JWN Foundation because they gave a youth from the inner city a chance – a fair shot at life,”the Kingston College old boy Fennell said of the scholarship he received in 2017, which he completed with a 3.9 GPA. The achievement is special to the resident of volatile Waterhouse, near to J. Wray & Nephew’s headquarters, as he believes that it will inspire other community youth to match or exceed him. “Another thing I would say to scholarship seekers is ‘don’t give up’. My parents couldn’t afford to send me to university, so I had to look a scholarship. I had the drive and I knew I had to go to college, because I want betterment for myself and family. So young people should continue to search, because nowadays there are more opportunities, more scholarships out there from corporate entities and foundations,”he said while revealing that it was through combing social media platforms that he came upon the J. Wray & Nephew Foundation Master Blender Scholarship. Functioning a year now as a mechanical technician in the Maintenance/Engineering Department of J. Wray & Nephew, Fennell also serves as director of scout operations at the Scouts Association of Jamaica, with which he has been affiliated since age six. For the duration of his stint at CMU, he taught mathematics voluntarily in Waterhouse on Sundays, as stipulated by the guidelines of the scholarship. It was through that programme that youth who hitherto dislikedmath, and had little to do with the subject, earned grades one and two passes in their regional examinations. “I am still inspiring people in Waterhouse,” said the man whose only sport at school was running up in the stands cheering at ‘Champs’. “The JWN Foundation is my second family; it does a lot for people and gives professional advice,”Fennell ended. Jevonnie Fennell, J. Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation scholarship recipient. CONTRIBUTED Jevonnie Fennell urges youth to look beyond challenges “This is a transformer. I have to extend my sincere gratitude to the JWN Foundation because they gave a youth from the inner city a chance – a fair shot at life.” “Scholarships are like large stepping stones that allow you to come close to the dream that you have, whether it is to become an engineer, a doctor, or something else.” JWN FOUNDATION Britney Williams makes a mark in engineering
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