DEMONSTRATING its commitment to fostering self-confidence, academic success, and empowerment among young girls across Jamaica, LASCO Distributors Limited, through its Curves brand, honoured the top-performing female students in the 2024 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations at a special awards luncheon on September 28.

Eight outstanding students, hailed as “bright sparks”, were awarded scholarships valued at a total of $400,000 to support their transition to high school and encourage their future educational pursuits. The scholarships were provided by Curves, LASCO’s line of sanitary napkins, as part of the brand’s broader mission to empower young girls and ensure they have the resources to excel academically and achieve their dreams.

The 2024 Curves scholarship awardees are Shanice Munroe, Destiny King, Nachalah Williams, Jermailia Gayle, Celene Robinson, Olivia Scott, and Arielle Smith. Additionally, Sahara Cunningham, the daughter of a LASCO staff member, was recognised for her exceptional academic performance with a scholarship.

Held at the LASCO headquarters in White Marl, St Catherine, the ceremony brought together proud parents, siblings, and senior representatives from LASCO, who heaped praises on the promising scholars for their discipline and passion towards their schoolwork and personal goals.

“Growing up can be a challenging experience, especially for pre-teens having to navigate bodily changes and the workload from school. As simple as it may seem, not having access to necessary sanitary products can contribute to a lack of focus. It was important to us to reduce or eliminate this discomfort while also sharing words of encouragement to the students along their journey,” explained Tracy-Ann Wellington-Reid, category manager for Curves.

“Curves has always advocated for our women and young girls to be confident, strong, resilient, and present their best selves to the world. Our Curves scholarship programme has been an extension of this advocacy, allowing us to support the empowerment of young women through academic and financial outreach.

“This year I am happy that we have been able to touch the lives of eight deserving young ladies. It was a joy to see the pride and emotion from the parents and even siblings present as they spoke about the hours of hard work their children put into the process.”

In her keynote address, Shelly-Ann Weeks, founder of HerFlow, shared inspiring words on the journey of womanhood, encouraging the young girls to embrace their uniqueness and strive for excellence.

Parents and guardians also shared touching stories of their children’s hard work and determination. Jermaine Gayle, father of awardee Jermailia Gayle, emphasised the importance of emotional support.

“As parents, it is very important for us to be in tune with our children’s emotions, especially our young girls. In order to help Jermailia through her most challenging days, I had to get on her level. I had to talk with her and reassure her. I had to let my daughter know that she was capable, smart, and strong. Building their confidence starts with what we, as parents, speak to them and how we support them through challenges.”

Wellington-Reid echoed these sentiments, noting, “Our students draw strength from us as parents. Hearing the experiences of these families reminded me of the importance of encouraging our children to believe in their abilities. As a new PEP parent myself, I look forward to applying these lessons with my own daughter.”

As a special treat, the young scholars enjoyed an exclusive meet-and-greet with Miss Jamaica Universe 2024 Rachel Silvera and Miss St Catherine Festival Queen 2024 Shahidah Grant, who shared words of empowerment.