MONTEGO BAY — She was not only the youngest but also the smallest one at the head table. So Shelly-Ann Bowen’s eloquent words, powerful voice and obvious self-confidence in a room full of some of the country’s movers and shakers came as a surprise.

“My dream of becoming a cytopathologist has just taken wings,” she enunciated clearly, her face barely visible behind a barrage of microphones. “Today I say thank you to the Rotary Club of Montego Bay for the role they have played in giving me colourful wings as I soar toward the fulfillment of my dreams. For it is my dream to one day become the best cytopathologist ever.”

And mindful of the fact that many in the room had no clue what cytopathology was, she cheerfully explained that it is the study of cells in the battle to develop greater detection and treatment of cancer.

Shelly-Ann’s selection as this year’s Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar means that she will now do a one-year stint at the Medical University of South Carolina. The US$25,000 scholarship covers round-trip transportation, tuition, fees, room and board expenses and some educational supplies.

“This scholarship may sound glamorous, but getting there meant years of perseverance, dedication and hard work,” Shelly-Ann said. “And in order to carry the flags of Rotary and my island, it means more of the same.”

The Rotary flag is particularly important to her, as she is the outgoing president of the Rotoract Club, the service club’s youth arm, and also the District Rotoract Representative — the highest international rung in her club.

Earlier this week Norman Hall, who is president of the sponsoring club — the Rotary Club of Montego Bay — voiced obvious pleasure at the opportunity now presented to her.

“Shelly-Ann is most deserving of this Ambassadorial Scholarship. The Rotary Club of Montego Bay and Rotary District 7020 are very proud of her achievements,” he said.

But their pride in her accomplishments pales in the face of that shown by Shelly-Ann’s mother, Mary Ricketts, to whom her third-born child’s success has come as no surprise.

“She’s just that type of child, she’s always been that way,” Ricketts told the Observer. “She was a very obedient child, and whatever she does, she likes to do it perfectly.”

That drive to succeed and struggle for perfection has obviously served her well in her academic life. A native of Daley’s Grove in Manchester, Shelly-Ann discovered during her early years at Manchester High School that she had an affinity for the sciences. By third form, she was streamlined into one of the top classes where only students with excellent grades were placed.

After a four-year stint at the Northern Caribbean University, she attained a degree in biological sciences in 1999, and followed that up with one in medical technology in 2000. Her drive to succeed made her an ideal candidate for the Rotary’s Ambassadorial Scholarship that is aimed at promoting international understanding and goodwill through study in another country.

It is an honour she does not take lightly.

“There is no end to my role and function because I am encouraged to dedicate my personal and professional life to improving the quality of life for the people of my home and country,” she said. “Therefore, after completing my degrees and gaining enough experience, I hope to return to Jamaica to offer something more to the health care system here. My dream is to see the Jamaican health care system taken to another level.”