THE JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation recently hosted its annual scholarship awards ceremony, celebrating the remarkable achievements of 31 tertiary students who received scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year. This year, the foundation allocated $13 million for scholarships, bursaries, and grants, with $10.5 million dedicated to tertiary education. In all, over 100 students benefited from the foundation’s 2024-2025 scholarship programme.

The ceremony was attended by university and college representatives, parents, guardians, well-wishers, and the scholarship recipients.

“Today, we gather to celebrate not just academic achievements, but the power of possibility. Each one of you here represents hope, transformation, and the belief that through education, lives — and even entire families — can be lifted,” said Celia Alleyne Ebanks, programme manager of JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation.

“This scholarship programme is grounded in the philosophy that greatness resides within every individual. It reflects our deep belief in the boundless potential that lies in every student, and the understanding that an investment in education is an investment in humanity.”

The 31 undergraduate scholarship recipients who were acknowledged at the ceremony included students who excelled academically and demonstrated a commitment to making a positive impact in their communities. The foundation also highlighted some of the stories of this year’s recipients, including Jerome Jackson, the foundation’s first blind scholarship recipient; Michaelle Willis, who is in the final leg of completing her tertiary studies in special education; and Alandre Lindsay, an inner-city youth who is committed to education and defying the odds.

In addition to the tertiary scholarships, the foundation continues to support 73 high school students with scholarships and bursaries valued at $3.16 million.

Funded by JMMB Group and named in honour of the late co-founder Joan Duncan, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation provides financial assistance to students who are not only academically capable, maintaining a minimum ‘B’ average, but who are also well-rounded and active in their communities.