Scholarship to go 2021

NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 23 W HEN IT was time for me to transition into university, I searched everywhere I could for scholarship opportunities. I was happy when I discovered the Carreras Seek Scholarship. After examining its criteria, I discovered I was eligible. I was rather euphoric when I received the scholarship, as I had thought I would have to sit out the year due to financial difficulties. But God made a way through Carreras Ltd! I pulled much courage from being a scholar and my efforts to achieve excellence. To secure this scholarship has positively modified my personality and s t rengthened my ambi t ions. My performance as a first- year university student is simply stellar. Thanks to Carreras for providing this opportunity for young minds like myself. Simply stellar CONTRIBUTED Jahvaine Currie, BSC, Chemistry, Carreras SEEK Scholar 2020-2021. J UNE 2020 was by far one of the most difficult times of my life. I was beyond thrilled to start my journey in university, but I was constantly reminded by my situation at home that my acceptance letter was probably the closest I would get to my dream profession. I have always been passionate about all I do and gave my all to every institution I found myself in. Though this was definitely not my motive, it would be expected that this passionate involvement, combined with my grades and leadership positions, would make getting a scholarship really easy. Unfortunately, every single scholarship I applied for, I was not awarded. I honestly thought of giving up and tried very hard to convince myself that I do not want to be a dentist. However, I was unable to fool the burning ambition in me and the thought of giving up a millimetre away from the right opportunity haunted me. I was then told about the Carreras Seek Scholarship and applied with faith. In my interview, I was authentically me. Carreras heard my story and felt my passion. In no time, my fear of not being able to tackle this financial obstacle began dissolving as I was chosen as one of their scholarship recipients. I cannot imagine where I would be right nowwithout their help. My mother has always done everything and more to provide for her girls, and I want nothing more than to be the best at what I do, love what I do and transformnot just our lives, but the lives of all my future patients. Carreras gave me the biggest jump-start in my journey. I was able to smile again, my mind was settled, my anxiety became the smallest obstacle and my dream became real. Thank you, Carreras Ltd, for believing in me and giving me this opportunity of a lifetime! C ARRERAS’ TERTIARY Scholarship Programme dates back to 1967, awarding its first scholarship to a postgraduate student who attended Herford College, Oxford, England. To date, this corporate social initiative remains a central part of the company’s culture. Carreras has expanded the number of awardees, the value of the awards and diversified the scholarship categories to ensure equal opportunity for students with varied interests across a multiplicity of disciplines. The main drive behind the scholarship programme is to increase academic advancement through the reduction of financial setbacks for families and students while encouraging the retention of high ability citizens in Jamaica. More than 1,000 Jamaicans attribute the continuance of their academic journey and the abatement of their financial distress to Carreras’ annual scholarship programme. Since the inception of the programme, an estimated $250 million have been invested in student scholarships. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it was evenmore critical to ensure the continuation of the programme. Carreras did the necessary business reviews to ensure that the pandemic would have minimal impact on the highly anticipated scholarship. Tertiary Scholarship Programme remains central part of Carreras culture THE GLEANER’S SCHOLARSHIPS TO GO CARRERAS Thankful for an opportunity of a lifetime Jada Browne Jahvaine Curry FILE Jada Browne, Dental Surgery student – UWI & Carreras SEEK Scholar 2020-2021.