GRACE-LEE Bolt and Alex Gray are this year’s recipients of Guardian Life Limited’s Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) Top Girl and Boy scholarships.

The students, who will be attending St. Andrew High School for Girls and Campion College, respectively, in September, have received $250,000 each to cover the full five-year period of study at secondary school.

They were presented with their awards, which included a gift basket and a certificate, during a ceremony held Wednesday at Guardian Life’s head office on Trafalgar Road in St Andrew.

Eight children of employees also benefited from $250,000, each under a programme launched by Guardian Life, which will cover the full five-year period at secondary school.

In addition to the GSAT scholarships, the entity has provided grants valued at $25,000 each to 11 staff members’ children who sat the examination. Six students from the Denham Town, Alpha and Duhaney Park primary schools received grants valued at $30,000 each, while four students received tertiary scholarships valued at $300,000 each for a period of three years.

In his remarks, president of Guardian Life Limited, Eric Hosin, lauded the outstanding performance of the students.

He said it is important for the scholars to not only understand and appreciate the value of a solid education, but to also enjoy themselves while seeking knowledge.

“You need to enjoy life too, and I want to encourage our parents to allow our children to do so; while they have to do their studies [also] allow them to enjoy life”, he urged.

He encouraged the recipients to manage their time effectively, to focus on their goals, and to choose their friends wisely.

In the meantime, he encouraged parents to be active members of the schools’ parent-teacher associations.

“Get involved with the school and know what is going on. Most of the child’s life is going to be formed inside of that school environment, and if the school is bad and you are not there to help it, you are part of the problem,” he said.

He said this year the company disbursed scholarships and grants valued at approximately $4 million to children of policyholders and employees of the company.

“It is a way of giving back to our policyholders and the society. A lot of what we give also is to needy children, and what you see here is just a representation,” he said, adding that assistance is provided islandwide.

CEO of NexxStepp Personal Development Tishauna Mullings, meanwhile, urged the students to serve as ambassadors of positivity.

In her response, Grace-Lee thanked Guardian Life for the scholarship and enriching the lives of the recipients.

“By awarding me the Guardian Life scholarship you are enabling me to continue to excel and focus on what is truly important — my education,” she said.

Expressing gratitude, Alex said the funds will assist in offsetting expenses throughout the secondary level.

“This scholarship is now my litmus and my beacon, a permanent reminder that with discipline and hard work, one can do anything that they choose to set their mind on doing,” he said.

For his part, tertiary scholar Phillip Bushay, said investment in young minds will benefit the students and country.

“With the current investments taking place in our country, it is good to know that we have a company like Guardian Life not just investing in physical assets and material stuff, but also investing in young minds,” he said.

Since 2005, Guardian Life Limited established a GSAT Scholarship programme for the benefit of the top-performing boy and girl from a list of applicants comprising children/legal wards of policyholders.

The selection is based on criteria established by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and is administered through the ministry. The scholarships go to the top performers who are not the recipients of any other award.