SIXTEEN young Jamaicans, hailing from all parishes across Jamaica, were the proud recipients of the NCB Foundation’s 2023 scholarships and grants, which are geared towards supporting students pursuing digital areas of study.

Fourteen parish champions were selected from the programme. They were:

* Arianna Warren – Kingston

* Charlene Jackson – St Thomas

* Crystal Bent – Manchester

* Ebony Howell – St Catherine

* Michael Chambers – St Elizabeth

* Milannu Thompson – Westmoreland

* Nathan Hansle – Clarendon

* Onica Wint – Portland

* Ron-Hugh Walters – Trelawny

* Ryeme Boxter – St Ann

* Tajauna Willie – St James

* Timarnie Daley – Hanover

* Vanessa Andrews – St Mary

* Zara Campbell – St Andrew

In addition to being named parish champions, 22-year-old Nathan Hansle from Clarendon and Vanessa Andrews from St Mary were selected as the NCB Foundation National Scholars for 2023, based on their outstanding performance in the qualifying activities. Hansle and Andrews will each receive an annual scholarship of $600,000 for the duration of their studies, once they continue to meet the programme’s criteria.

Octasha Sterling from St Mary was named the Dr Rickert Allen Memorial Scholar for 2023, and will also receive a scholarship valued at $600,000 per year for the duration of her studies. Meanwhile, Clement Jones from Kingston was the runner-up awardee, who will receive a one-time grant of $150,000.

“All we ask is that you do well in your studies, and pay it forward,” said Nadeen Matthews Blair, CEO of NCB Foundation. “The chairman of NCB Financial Group, Michael Lee-Chin, who was a scholarship recipient himself, lives by the personal mantra — it is important to do well, and do good. This has always been our ‘North Star’ at NCB Foundation, as we believe that through education, our young people can improve not only their quality of life, but also make a difference in their families, communities, for our nation and the world,” said Matthews Blair.

Government senator and award-winning former broadcast journalist, Abka Fitz-Henley, one of the very first NCB Foundation scholars from 2008, was in attendance at the event, and served as a judge for the qualifying activities.

“It’s a great honour to be here and to serve as a judge for the NCB Foundation tertiary scholarships programme. I have a tremendous feeling of nostalgia, as five years ago, I was in the very shoes of these scholars and right here receiving a scholarship,” said Fitz-Henley. “It’s not lost on me that NCB started this scholarship programme long before it was fashionable to have such programmes which on a large scale gave financial assistance to students, and I consider this initiative by NCB Foundation as one of the more critical endeavours among its peers in corporate Jamaica. The programme has not only helped beneficiaries such as me to navigate my educational pursuits from a financial standpoint, it has also offered guidance and invaluable mentorship to my cohort where we gained access to people who have the interest of young people at heart.”

Aligning with global shifts in technology, NCB Foundation has channelled its focus within its core of education towards digital studies such as animation, computer science, and software development.

“We recognise the seismic shifts in the global landscape, particularly in the field of technology,” said Matthews Blair. “We have set a bold aspiration to play a pivotal role in accelerating the digital transformation of Jamaica.”

To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the programme, each scholar also received a $15,000 gift certificate to a local bookstore with a call to ‘pay it forward’ within their community. With more than $1 billion invested in education through its various scholarships, grants and training initiatives since 2008, NCB Foundation this year celebrated the milestone 15th anniversary of its annual programme.

“Today marks a special milestone in your journey, one of many more to come. We stand on the shoulders of many and will continue to give back,” said Matthews Blair.