MONTEGO BAY, St James

Seventeen-year-old Shantel Brissett, a pre-university student in the science programme at the Montego Bay Community College, is the proud beneficiary of a $80,000 scholarship from the Rotary Club of Montego Bay

East’s (RCMBE) annual fundraiser, the Bikeathon/ Jamaica Challenge.

Seventeen students received scholarships totalling $385,000 at last week’s award’s ceremony at the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay.

Brissett who showed early signs of academic brilliance while attending the Bethel Primary school in her native Hopewell, Hanover community, when she outclassed her competitors in the 2001 Spelling Bee competition to qualify

as representing parish representative in the national spell off.

Later she won a scholarship to the Montego Bay High School for girls where she eventually became a prefect and went on to captain the School’s Challenge Quiz team. She emerged as the top academic performer with distinctions in the ten subjects she sat at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) general proficiency level.

In her most recent scholastic achievement, Brissett obtained five A ‘Level subjects, three which she sat at the Montego Bay Community College and two privately.

The young scholar, the daughter of Hanover’s leading emcee Delroy ‘Sugar Ray’ Brissett and Sharon Brissett is aspiring to pursue a career in medicine.

Delivering the vote of thanks on behalf of the awardees, Brissett thanked the RCMBE for the scholarships and told fellow awardees that “the sky is the limit”.

The Bikeathon/Jamaica Challenge started in 1995 as a recreational ride before evolving into the popular race it has become. According to RCMBE, Bikeathon 2008 promises to be to be as exciting as ever, with plans already in place for its continued improvement and growth.