15 Secondary School Students In New Batch.
OVER the past 21 years Cable & Wireless has provided scholarships valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars to children of its employees through the Cable & Wireless Scholarship Programme.
First established in 1995, the programme provides full scholarships which represent a seven-year commitment to the education of the young recipients, inclusive of five years at secondary school and two years at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, whether or not their parents remain with the company.
On Tuesday, Flow awarded 19 scholarships to children of its employees, thereby reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the C&W Scholarship Programme and supporting the educational advancement of St. Lucia’s children.
The scholarship awards were presented to the students, along with their parents, at a unique and extremely moving presentation held at the Bay Gardens Inn, Rodney Bay. Among the invited guests was Ag. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Youth Development and Sports, Dr. Anthony George.
All 19 of the proud scholarship recipients were provided with bursaries which will cover the cost of their school supplies, including textbooks and stationary, uniforms and school fees. Their selection was based on their Common Entrance Examination scores and their academic performance at secondary school over the past three or four years. The scholarships are meant to reward them for their hard work throughout the years.
This year’s recipients include 15 secondary school students, all of whom have been receiving annual scholarship bursaries from the company, and four primary school students, each of whom turned in an outstanding performance at this year’s Common Entrance Examinations.
Flow St. Lucia Marketing and Communications Executive, ShermalynSidonie-John said: “As a company we value our employees who make an invaluable contribution towards the running of the organisation and it’s important to give back to them in various ways. Education is one of the core pillars of Flow as it relates to our corporate social responsibility, so why not begin with rewarding the children of our most valued resource, our team members.”
Hayden Patrick, Flow St. Lucia’s Finance Manager encouraged the children to work at developing their spirituality and to look to God for strength and guidance as they pursue their education. He urged them to pursue their goals with passion in order to become well-rounded individuals, fully prepared for the future.
Permanent Secretary, Dr. Anthony George delivered the keynote address. He encouraged the students to ‘work hard to pursue excellence,’ and never give up on their dreams. “Understand that education is the greatest key to your own personal development and do your best to pursue excellence at school. You don’t have to come from a wealthy family to pursue your dream,” he told the youngsters. It was an uplifting and inspiring delivery.
To drive the point home further, the Flow team showed the students a video on the new documentary ‘Leap of Faith’ featuring Pan Am Games gold-medalist and Flow ambassador, Levern Spencer and her inspiring quest to achieve her dream of becoming a world-class high jumper.
Additionally a video of British Olympic athlete, Derek Redmond during his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where he tore his hamstring in the 400 metres semi-final but fought through the pain and, with help from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. It was a touching moment for the students, for whom the message was clear; they must stay focused on their goals and never give up.
Samuel Arlette, one of the awardees, was presented with a gift of a smartphone for volunteering to come up to the podium to tell the audience the key lessons he had learned during the session. He was thrilled.
His proud father, Justin Arlette, said he was very touched to know that his son was selected to receive the scholarship and thanked Flow for doing so. He echoed the sentiments of the other parents present and said he will continue to encourage his son to do his best as he enters a new school year.
Glynn Goodman, another proud dad, also expressed his gratitude for the assistance Flow is providing to his son. “On behalf of my family I would like to thank Flow for the scholarship. A weight has been lifted from my shoulders knowing that my son is getting this sort of assistance and it will go a long way in helping him to continue his education,” said Goodman.