KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Eight tertiary students have received scholarships valued at $3.6 million from the Jamaica Flour Mills (JFM) Foundation and the Hart/Jacobs Scholarships, for the 2018/19 academic year.

The new JFM Foundation scholarship recipients are Shaniequa Brown, who will be pursuing a BSc Accounting, University of the West Indies (UWI); Akeem Campbell, BSc Actuarial Science, UWI; Andrew Hercules, B. Eng Chemical Engineering at the University of Technology (UTech); Javier Bryan, BSc Computer and Electronics, UWI; and Javian Hudson, BSc Computer Science and Electronics, UWI.

Amanda Sturridge, BSc Biochemistry, UWI, received the inaugural JFM Foundation Community Scholarship award. The scholarship is open to university students residing within Kingston 2 communities.

The Hart/Jacobs Scholarships went to Rashida Willie, Bachelor of Pharmacy, UTech; and Tiffany Grant, BSc General, UWI.

The scholarships, as well as gift baskets, were presented to the recipients during the JFM Foundation and Hart/Jacobs Scholarships 30th anniversary awards luncheon, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew on October 4.

Up to the end of the 2017/2018 academic year, a total of $45 million had been disbursed to 235 scholarship awardees.

Minister of Health and past scholarship recipient, Dr Christopher Tufton, lauded the JFM for the initiative, adding that the programme provides much-needed assistance to students who are desirous of pursuing tertiary studies.

He urged the students to continue striving for excellence. “Determine that you can, if you put your mind to it,” he said.

Reminding them that their biggest risk to wealth is their health, Tufton encouraged the students to practise healthy lifestyle choices to minimise the risks of non-communicable diseases, which represent one of the biggest public health challenges globally in the 21st century.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, in a message read by Advisor, Howard Chamberlain, lauded Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation for assisting students to reach their full potential.

He called on other companies to provide scholarship opportunities for children, particularly those who are pursuing studies in the STEM/STEAM disciplines.

Managing Director, Jamaica Flour Mills, Derrick Nembhard, said the Foundation has been positively impacting the nation through the recipients, who can be found in all areas of the society.

“We continue to provide quality products for the local and international markets and have been reformulating our cake and dough mixes to be in alignment with the reduced sugar guidelines set out by the Government of Jamaica,” he said.