GlaxoSmithKline grants $1-million scholarships to two
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By Dania Bogle
Saturday, October 07, 2006
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Alecia Cutenar and Yushani Durrant, two promising young Jamaican athletes, yesterday received the first installments of scholarships valued at J$1 million dollars each from GlaxoSmithKline to pursue studies at the University of Technology (UTech).
GlaxoSmithKline handed over cheques worth J$250,000 each, representing one-quarter of the scholarships' value to be spread over the four years of the former Mount Alvernia High School students' education.
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| Anthony Davis (left), director of sports at UTech and recipient Yushani Durrant (second left) accept the symbolic cheque representing the first installment of a scholarship from GlaxoSmithKline's Caribbean country manager Prince Graham-Haynes (second right) and Robeth Streete, sales manager at yesterday's presentation ceremony at the Beechwood Avenue company. (Photo: Napthali Junior) |
Sixteen-year-old Durrant, the Carifta Games Under-17 triple jump champion and Central American and Caribbean Games third-placed finisher is pursuing a course in Medical Technology, while 17-year-old Cutenar will do studies in Food Service Management.
Selection criteria included good performances at Gibson Relays, VMBS Boys' and Girls' Championships and National Championships, as well as meeting UTech's matriculation requirement of five CXC passes, including Mathematics and English.
Cutenar and Durrant, who were scouted by UTech's head track and field coach, Stephen Francis and his brother Paul, have passes in seven CXC subjects.
Paul Francis told Sporting World that both he and his brother spent a long time looking at a lot of athletes before deciding on Cutenar and Durrant.
"We both determined who we wanted to have. We believed both have immense talent and based on what we saw, and their attitude in conversation, we believe they could be future champions Jamaica could be proud of," he said.
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| Alecia Cutenar (left) and Yushani Durrant (right) recipients of GlaxoSmithKline scholarships flank lucozade ambassador and the world's fastest man Asafa Powell at yesterday's ceremony. (Photo: Napthali Junior) |
Francis said Cutenar, who was injured for most of this season, was selected based on her 2005 performances. Those included personal bests of 11.89 seconds in the 100 metres and 23.98 seconds in the 200 metres set at Boys' and Girls' Championships.
"We know she has the goods," Francis said.
Cutenar's mother Charmaine who told Sporting World that she took the bus from Montego Bay and arrived at GlaxoSmithKline's Beechwood Avenue headquarters around seven o' clock yesterday morning to view the presentation, said the scholarship came at the right moment. "It's a great help because probably she would have had to move on to upper sixth," Cutenar said.
Durrant said she realised the scholarship meant putting in a lot of hard work. "I know a lot of people out there looking on would want it," she said.
"I know some people think study and track and field cannot go together, but I am going to be the one to show that track and field can go with study," she said further.
Francis said he hopes Durrant's talent could be harnessed to help her someday replicate the achievements of reigning Triple Jump World champion Trecia Smith.
"We have extremely high expectations," Francis said.
The handing over ceremony was attended by world 100-metre record holder Asafa Powell, himself a UTech student, coached by Stephen Francis and Lucozade ambassador.
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