BUOYED by his scholarship to the world-renowned Howard University, situated in Washington, DC, young Jamaican swimmer Nicholas Haughton has high hopes of achieving great things.

Haughton, who was a member of Jamaica’s team to the Carifta Championships in Barbados recently, will take up his engagement at the start of the new school year in August, where he will study Finance and minor in Actuarial Science.

“It is an amazing feeling to have been awarded a scholarship to Howard…an immense honour, words can’t accurately sum up how I really feel as I still can’t believe it.

“But it is a great feeling knowing that the years of work placed in the books and into the pool have all paid off. It also speaks volumes about anything being possible, once you really believe in yourself and actively work towards your goals,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

The 17-year-old Campion College student was accepted by five other universities, which include Fordham, Saint Leo, Arcadia, Xavier and Seton Hall. Barring Fordham, all offered scholarships.

But, the Tornadoes Swim Club representative told the Jamaica Observer why he opted for the division one school.

“The environment at Howard just seemed like it would be a better fit for me, especially considering several Jamaicans currently attend the school. Also their swim team is currently in a rebuilding phase, and the coach reached out to me and told me he felt I could be an integral part of their restructuring,” he explained.

The academic portion of the scholarship will be 72 percent of the cost, with the remainder being covered under the swimming scholarship.

The scholarship will span across eight semesters with the option of renewal, provided the academic requirements are met, while the athletic scholarship is renewable after every year.

However, in order to maintain the scholarship, Haughton said he will have to maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA).

“Having the chance to attend Howard University extremely boosts my educational capabilities as I will be able to study at this prestigious institution. Also, being able to study abroad will allow me to learn and experience new things from a completely different perspective than what I am used to in Jamaica.

“It also boosts my swimming career, as I have the opportunity to experience a new style of training in a new environment. It will be a new set-up to my season, because I will be swimming in a 25-metre pool as opposed to the 50-metre pool that I am used to. So it is a learning experience and I hope to benefit greatly from these changes,” he explained.

Once he attains the bachelors degree in finance, Haughton aspires to continue his studies and aims for a masters degree.

He is also optimistic that after four years of intense training and competition at Howard, he will be able to qualify and represent Jamaica at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Askew, swim coach at the university, believes the prowess of the young Jamaican sensation will be a major asset to their program.

“Having Nicholas come on board continues a long line of Caribbean swimmers who are members of our programme. We are excited that Nicholas has committed to Howard University, as he will come in as a major contributor to our mid-distance freestyle events.

“Nicholas has a track record of academic and swimming success [and] I have no doubt that Howard University will allow him to continue to develop and excel in both areas,” he assured.