Business Social – September 7, 2025
The St Mary Education Trust (SMET) has awarded over $3 million in scholarships and bursaries to 10 outstanding tertiary students from across Jamaica. The ceremony celebrated the students’ academic excellence, resilience, and community spirit.
The awards come from the Sydney A Phillips Scholarships Trust — funded by Sydney Phillips’ family, past scholars, Jamaica Producers Group, and others — and the Jamaica Producers Group’s Ernest Johnston Memorial Bursary. Recipients show strong academic achievement and personal drive. The Sydney A Phillips Scholarships support students from St Mary with $300,000 annually for their undergraduate studies, contingent on continued good performance. The Ernest Johnston Memorial Bursary offers $300,000 yearly to Jamaican students in agriculture, shipping, manufacturing, or business, renewable for up to three years.
Sherrideen Stewart (left), second-year student at the St Joseph’s Teachers’ College, and Jada-Lee Lindsay, final-year student at College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) pursuing her degree in plant sciences, discuss their shared excitement for the academic year ahead.
At the recent 2025 St Mary Education Trust Awards Ceremony, Lisa McGregor-Johnston (left), chair of SMET and head of Corporate Services at the Jamaica Producers Group Ltd, congratulates Sherrideen Stewart, second-year student at the St Joseph’s Teachers’ College, on her exceptional delivery of the vote of thanks.
Elizabeth Phillips (left), chair of the Sydney A Phillips Trust and director of the SMET Johnae Simmonds (centre), second-year business administration student at Northern Caribbean University and Lisa McGregor-Johntston, chair of SMET and head of corporate services at the Jamaica Producers Group Limited, are all smiles at the recent 2025 SMET Awards Ceremony.
Representing the Ernest Johnston Memorial Bursary (EJMB), Patricia Francis (right), director of Jamaica Producers Group, shares a moment with continuing EJMB recipient Jada-Lee Lindsay, a final-year plant sciences student, as they reflect on their shared passion for agronomy.
At the 2025 SMET Awards Ceremony, Patsy Kelly (left) and director of the SMET, Elizabeth Phillips, chair of the Sydney A Phillips Trust and director of the SMET, express their joy in being reunited with Dr Patrick Roberts, past recipient of the Sydney A Phillips Scholarship.
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