The lucky four, from left, who got back-to-school help from the Manchester Co-Operative Credit Union - Marshalee Mullings, Lamoyge Fletcher, Venetta Swaby and Ricardo Mahabeer - pose for the cameras with acting general manger Cynthia Briscoe.

Manchester, Mandeville - Venetta Swaby, Ricardo Mahabee, Marshalee Mullings and Lomoyge Fletcher beat out 26 other applicants who had hoped to get one of the scholarships being awarded by the Manchester Co-operative Credit Union this year.

Swaby is a third-year student of architecture at the University of Technology (U-Tech). Mahabee, who also attends UTech, is in the last year of a business administration degree while Mullings is a Medical Technology student at the Northern Caribbean University, and Fletcher is a GSAT student who last attended West Indies Prep in Mandeville.

The credit union has set aside $370,000 through the Sydney Carter Scholarship fund, to help them during the school year.
Carter, who co-founded the Manchester Credit Union, was vice-principal of the Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester before he died in 1983.

According to general manager Cynthia Briscoe, the financial institution first began offering scholarships and bursaries in 1988 but this is the first year they have received so many applications. The increase in applicants may have partially attributable to the decision to open up the process to all disciplines instead of confining it to particular areas of study, as has been done in the past.

"I am proud and feel very relieved that we were able to pull through another long and tedious selection process," said Briscoe.

Fletcher was equally relieved when she learned that she had been selected as one of the recipients.

"I was very glad, elated and very relieved when I heard that I was one of the successful recipients of the scholarships and bursaries," said the 12-year-old GSAT student who promised to work even harder. She received a $10,000 one-off bursary.

For Swaby, the $240,000 scholarship she has been awarded has made the difference between attending school and staying at home.

"I was not sure whether or not I would be able to attend school for this coming year and I was at a point where I didn't know where to turn to, as I did not have the money," she said.
The two other university students received bursaries of $60,000.

Minister Grange tours new BBC studios

Guinness Sounds of Greatness creating a dancehall for everyone

Tarrus Riley shoots video for Start Anew