THE experience of helping her mother to sell clothes in downtown Kingston has taught 18-year-old Danae Jones the lesson of resilience and inspired her to diligently pursue her study in marketing at university.

A recent graduate of St Catherine High School, Jones was among 44 recipients of this year’s Burger King Jamaica’s National Scholarship Programme.

The recipients were presented with their awards during a ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew last week with Jones being the female recipient of the Burger King Open Tertiary Scholarship.

During the function, students at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels were given bursaries, scholarships and grants valued at more than $14 million

Jones, who has eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects and four Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) subjects, told the Jamaica Observer that she will be pursuing a double major in marketing and accounting at The University of the West Indies (UWI), starting September.

“I love marketing. My mummy, she sells at downtown Kingston and I love to interact with people. I love persuading them to make a purchase and as a result of that, I just have a passion for the marketing field and accounting on the other side, I can do it. So why not,” said Jones, who has also achieved a Stage 3 Certificate in City and Guilds mathematics.

She said even though helping her mother downtown sometimes interrupted her studies, she persevered.

“Even when I have exams, I have to be at town helping out. So sometimes, you know, I may want to stay home and study but every Saturday I would have to go to town to help her,” said Jones.

The teenager noted that the Burger King scholarship will reduce the financial challenge for her supportive mother who has made many sacrifices for her children while selling in the market for the past 16 years.

Jones, who hails from Kitson Town, St Catherine, said she was elated that the scholarship she has been award was increased from the initial amount as this will go a far way in helping her to continue her studies.

“When I was applying it was $200,000 that was stipulated, but when I looked at the [contract] that they gave us to sign, I saw $500,000. So like $300,000 extra. Wow! So the increase and the significant impact that it will make is that it can cover almost three quarters of my tuition alongside my boarding fee and it’s for three years. So I just need to keep my grades up to standard and I’ll be covered for the entire three years,” said Jones with notable excitement.

Among the promising young people also rewarded during the ceremony was 11-year-old Kirani Porter, a past student of the Kensington Primary School where he was deputy head boy and top pupil.

Kirani was the recipient of the Burger King Open Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Scholarship valued at $300,000. Kirani will be attending Campion College in September with $60,000 of the scholarship amount being disbursed each year for five years.

“I think it will help me to obtain the books that I need, the books that are necessary for me to work. It will also cover my school fees. Therefore, I believe that this scholarship is important for my overall well-being,” Kirani told the Observer while his proud mother, Evona Edwards Porter, looked on.

She said that her son was very involved in various activities at his school and also did well academically, noting that he represented his school at the Math Olympia for which he got an award, and was also part of the Junior Mayorship Programme in Portmore.

“I know that he will continue to do his extreme best at Campion College,”said Edwards Porter as she declared that the scholarship award came at the right time.

“This came in just in time to pay school fee, with different textbooks to be bought, uniform expenses and so on. We’re grateful for this scholarship because it should really take off most of the pressure off both parents,” added Edwards Porter.

Another beneficiary of a scholarship valued at $400,000, 17-year-old aspiring chartered accountant Javier Blake, said he was grateful as the money will help reduce the financial burden on his mother who is not working and his father, who is a self-employed carpenter.

“I’ll be commuting so that will play a major role and help with probably lunch money or other fees that may come up along with it as well,” said Blake as he pointed out that the scholarship will also help with tuition over a one-year period.

Blake, who was the male recipient of the Burger King Open Tertiary Bursary, will be matriculating to the University of Technology where he will pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

The well-rounded student also served as a member of Dinthill’s sixth form guild, the vice-president of the Mathematics Club, and was involved in mentoring and tutoring his peers in mathematics.

In the meantime Nadia Kiffin Green, head of sales and marketing at Restaurant Associates Limited, the operator of the Burger King franchise in Jamaica, said through the scholarship programme the company is proud to play a pivotal role in helping to advance local communities through education.

“Many students, like the ones represented here today, are brilliant but lack the opportunity in terms of resources, financial or otherwise to pursue their goals and dreams.

“The simple truth is that there is a need for programmes like these, there is a need for the continued investment in our young people, and there is a need for us as corporate citizens to play our part in helping to ease the weight of their financial burden,” said Kiffin Green as she noted that since 2001, the programme has impacted more than 340 Jamaican youth, “and with each year that passes, we continue to improve upon the offerings”.

Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams lauded Burger King for playing its part as good corporate citizens, helping to advance the educational pursuits of the nation’s children,

Williams argued that the event was more than just a celebration of academic achievement as it identifies the power of education and the potential that resides within each Jamaican.