CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank was one of three major donors singled out for special praise by chairman of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus Council, Paul Altman, at the 2014 Student Awards Ceremony held on April 1.

Addressing senior academic staff, corporate and individual donors as well as about 100 scholarship winners and their families who gathered at the Roy Marshall Teaching Complex for the event, Altman lauded the bank — one of the three largest corporate donors — for its continuing support of the campus and its students “especially in these testing economic times”.

He said the university was proud to have faithful donors who understood the importance of their donations toward the development of the campus.

His comments were echoed by pro-vice chancellor and principal of Cave Hill, Sir Hilary Beckles, who also lauded the corporate and individual donors. “A university cannot prosper without the investment of its stakeholders,” Sir Hilary stressed.

Once again, the bank took pride of place at the annual awards ceremony as Gregory Blackman, manager, sales

and business development, presented scholarships totalling US$37,500 to 15 outstanding undergraduate students from Barbados, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The scholarships are valued at US$2,500 each and are presented annually as part of a Memorandum of Understanding between the bank and UWI.

Jamaican law students Andre K Sheckleford and Travis A Benain as well as accounting student Misha A Walker were among the scholarship winners.

The other winners of the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Scholarships for the academic year 2013/2014 are The Bahamas’ Azaria S Clare (medicine); Gabriela S Gibson (accounting and finance), Natasha M Greenidge (Spanish and French), Janiel C Yearwood (psychology and management) and Shonelle Hollingsworth (French and Spanish) of Barbados; Priscilla A Whyte (accounting and finance), Blair A Rose (accounting and finance) and Zinzia E Shearman (economics and accounting) of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States; and Trinidad and Tobago’s Leah Samaroo, Kamaria K J Jordan, and Shireen S Remy who are all studying medicine.

Caryl Hayes (banking and finance) received the award allocated to a child of a CIBC FirstCaribbean employee.