A member of the deaf community and a medical doctor were the highlight of this year’s Governor-General’s I Believe Initiative (IBI) Summer of Service Awards presentation at King’s House.

Held August 22, the event saw Celine Lobban, a graduate of Lister Mair Gilby High School for the Deaf, being awarded a full scholarship to cover her four-year Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the University of Technology, Jamaica; and Angelica Baker, who was among the first cohort of recipients in 2013, being introduced as Dr Angelica Baker after successfully completing her Bachelor of Medicine at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Eight beneficiaries of this year’s Summer of Service competition obtained scholarships valued at $7 million to start or proceed to second year at various colleges and universities. One recipient will start the University of the West Indies (UWI); two, the University of Technology, Jamaica; one, College of Agriculture, Science and Education; one, Caribbean Maritime Institute; and two will advance to the second year of their degree programme at UWI, Mona.

Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen commended the recipients and charged them to be critical thinkers who are transformed by their education to continue in the nation- building process.

“Recipients, keep in mind that the principal demands being made of 21st century workers include creativity, critical and divergent thinking, self-awareness and integration of knowledge. It is not just a matter of cramming and reproducing what was taught,” the Governor-General stated.

“You will have to play your part to ensure that your quest for higher education prepares you to cope with the rapid social changes at the national and global levels. Your going to college or university must be a transformation. You cannot go like “Johnny cake” and come back like dumpling,” Allen continued, using the popular Jamaican breakfast staple sometimes referred to as a cake as an expression of softness to drive home his point.

The Summer of Service competition is a project of the Governor-General’s I Believe Initiative where students volunteer with various organisations in exchange for valuable life skills plus tuition support for their tertiary education. The project seeks to influence social responsibility and nation building through voluntary experience.

It is part of Sir Patrick’s broad vision to partner with various stakeholders to build hope, confidence, and a heightened sense of purpose and sound values through family, youth and educational activities.

Now in its fifth year, the competition has provided tuition support to a total of 53 students. The annual application process opens in May and the service component is executed during the months of June to August.

The eight awards recipients in the 2017 programme executed their voluntary service at Mustard Seed Communities, Clarendon Youth Information Centre – Youth Empowerment Camp, The iAspire Project, Hyacinth Lightbourne Visiting Service, One-Chair-One-Child Project, and The Green House Development Project.

Sir Patrick noted that the sacrifice of their summer holidays reflected the attitude “of future leaders of our country”.

“They do this not just for themselves, but for the greater good,” the GG said.