WHEN Chad Smith’s father died tragically in 2007, the first form Holmwood Technical High student slumped into depression. It took him months to recover.

With his father missing from the picture, Smith was charged with supporting his mother as he tried to reinstate the happiness in his home.

However, despite his predicaments, Smith, who is known for his brilliance and impeccable mannerism, continued to blaze a trail towards success.

“It was a difficult period, and I knew that I had to make a decision to continue doing well. My mother needed my support, and I, hers.

“We soon mapped out a plan to ensure that we could sustain ourselves as a family. It wasn’t much, but we managed,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Since then, his mother resorted to peddling her wares at Coronation Market in Downtown Kingston to ensure the well-being of her child.

After much hassle, the duo could only uncover a portion of the funds required to offset the cost of his matriculation to the tertiary level recently.

But, as fate would have it, Smith received a call from William McLean, president of the Holmwood Past Students’ Association, New York chapter, informing him that he had met the requirement for the association’s scholarship.

The scholarship is valued at US$1,000 to assist with satisfying tertiary financial obligations.

Smith was now breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that he would be debt-free this semester.

And the 20-year-old is optimistic that his faith in God will manifest, allowing him to account for the funds to cover the remainder of a four-year degree.

The science education major at the University of Technology, Jamaica was the only male among the three awardees who collected their scholarships last Friday at the Jamaica Observer.

Shanique Dixon, a physical education major at The Mico University College, and social work major Trishan Williams of University of the West Indies, Mona were the others.

The two females, both 20 years old, expressed gratitude for the scholarship, pointing out that it was a “much-needed help” for their families to offset some of the expenses associated with their educational demands.

Meanwhile, McLean said that communication with the students regarding publicising the scholarship opportunity and retrieval of the application forms was done with the assistance of Junior Taylor, the president of the Class of 1974, and president of the eastern chapter, Astley Jones.

“I am grateful for the support of the class of 1974, but I am more pleased to see the look of appreciation imprinted on the faces of these students. My only regret is that other past students fail to contribute to the development of the school,” McLean said.

He expressed optimism that more students will apply for the three-year-old scholarship, in years to come.

A similar sentiment was shared by Jones, who said that he hopes more students become involved so that they can benefit through the association and the value of the scholarships can be increased.

“I know that the students are grateful, but tertiary education is not cheap, and if more of us become involved then we can see ourselves doing so much more to help,” Jones said.

He urged other past students of Holmwood and other schools to become a part of past students’ associations so that they

can make meaningful contributions to the education of youth and, by extension, the society.