NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024 30 IF SHE has her way, and at the appropriate time, Rhaveen Kildare will use skills she learnt in medicine on the global platform so that her services will reach beyond the shores of her homeland Jamaica. “My end goal is to work for organisations like PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), and the UN (United Nations) to become directly involved in the health and wellness of individuals who stand to benefit from good healthcare and what healthcare should look like. “I know that I will have to work in Jamaica’s hospitals when I have completed my studies, but I don’t see myself practising full time, as I feel that where I can make positive change is with an international organisation by doing community outreach and community intervention,” said the former head girl of Glenmuir High School in Clarendon. The JWN Foundation scholarship recipient has many accolades despite her youth, which include the Governor General’s Award for Excellence, being named a Restorative Justice Ambassador while in primary school, and vice president for Region Seven of the Jamaica Prefects’ Association. She’s also actively involved at the Baptist Church in Toll Gate, Clarendon, where she serves as a Sunday School teacher and vice president of the Clarendon Baptist Youth Association. Set to complete the first year of the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) programme at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, Rhaveen is in her third year as a JWN Foundation Scholar, following her switch from pursuing a degree in Biotechnology. The former Schools’ Challenge Quiz team member at Glenmuir is heavily involved in extracurricular activities at UWI. Her list of extracurricular includes: being a block representative for Irvine Hall Committee ; incoming deputy hall chairman; deputy vice president of Membership of UWI students Today, Alumni Tomorrow( UWISAT); Outreach Ambassador at Irvine Hall, and vice president of External Affairs of Jamaica Medical Students. Rhaveen hopes to leave an indelible mark on medicine and be a positive influence on the lives of people. “Although I have a lot of sleepless nights, lots of frustration, I must praise God, and I’m grateful for the support of my mother, family, and the JWN Foundation for investing in me. I know the end goal that I have in mind, and I am intrinsically motivated. “I would encourage students seeking higher education to continue working hard to ensure that your grades match the qualification for the scholarships, as there are many avenues available that you can get to learn more about scholarships,” she ended. IN TWO years, he could become the first diplomat to hail from Crook’s Gate, southwestern Clarendon. That’s why Jamaal Muirhead is putting everything into ensuring that he emerges top of the class as he reads for a degree in International Relations at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, courtesy of a J Wray & Nephew (JWN) Foundation scholarship. He has completed the first task, by making the Dean’s List in his first year of study and does not intend to drop the ball on the race to the finish line which climaxes in two years. Jamaal is no ordinary scholarship seeker. While in grade 10 at Denbigh High School in Clarendon, he pushed forward to apply for a scholarship through the JWN Foundation. But that initial denial did not daunt him. Although not successful for the scholarship, the JWN Foundation along with Optical Elements donated a pair of glasses to help the young student during his course of study. Following success at Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, he applied again for a scholarship to take him through sixth form. Guess what? He was successful! And that success pushed him even further, as he was embraced by the foundation, which backed him financially, again, for the latest tertiary scholarship over three years. “I don’t know what I would have done without these scholarships, because things were tough,”he said. “Students should be persistent and search for those scholarships because they are out there, and they are meaningful. By working hard at your academics and getting involved in extracurricular activities, you will be able to land those scholarships,” he urged others. With his engine in full revolution, Jamaal not only wants to be a member of Jamaica’s diplomatic corps but intends to be involved in something special. “The study of international relations is extremely important. It is more relevant now, based on the conflicts that we have seen with Hamas and Israel, with Russia and Ukraine … and being a part of that process, I would be able to help Jamaica on the foreign front, because Jamaica is heavily dependent on outside investments and outside relation are important to a country,” the now resident of Gimme-Me-Bit in Clarendon remarked. As for something extra, politics may be another area in which he could serve, if utterances by community folk regarding his suitability in that area are taken seriously by him. But there are doubts. “I do have the political and leadership acumen, but Jamaican politics … it can be a bit filthy at times, it can be a bit rough, it is not easy. Jamaican politics is a blood sport,” he ended. Rhaveen Kildare’s vision is to serve international medical organisations Rhaveen Kildare, JWN Foundation Scholarship recipient. CONTRIBUTED Jamaal Muirhead ‘eyes’ serving the Jamaican cause as a diplomat JWN FOUNDATION Jamaal Muirhead, JWN Foundation Scholarship recipient. CONTRIBUTED SCHOLARSHIPS TO GO FEATURE | THE GLEANER | THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024
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