KINGSTON, Jamaica — Arts Management student Dante Saunders is the first recipient of a scholarship from the Oliver Samuels Foundation.

Saunders was announced as the winner of the scholarship at a ceremony held at the Edna Manley School for the Visual and Performing Arts on January 14.

Addressing the audience, the 18-year-old shared the importance of mentorship and organisations, like YARD Empire, which are devoted to serving inner city youth.

“My journey towards pursuing higher education really began when I started attending musical classes offered by YARD Empire,” he said.

Describing his background, the young man added, “I come from the inner city and so it was an escape for me, an opportunity to come out of my environment and learn something new and interact with different sets of people.”

“Just by being engaged through YARD Empire, I began to see myself differently,” said Saunders.

The student mentioned “Aunty Terri” (Terri Salmon) in particular citing her constant encouragement and reinforcement.

“She always encouraged me and kept pushing the idea that there was a place for me in higher education, even though at the time, I couldn’t even dream that I would finish high school,” he said.

Saunders further shared that not only did YARD Empire’s mentorship programme help him to finish high school, but performing with the programme at various functions and ceremonies gave him exposure and ultimately helped him to learn of various careers within the arts and pathways to achieving them.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Gender, Culture, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, Permanent Secretary Deanroy Bernard commended the Oliver Samuels Foundation, highlighting the importance of funding for the arts.

“We want to commend the Oliver Samuels Foundation for its commitment to nurturing the next generation of culture leaders and strengthening Jamaica’s creative future. Sometimes we are worried about the future, but we are happy to see events like these,” said Bernard.

Bernard said the scholarship was not simply presenting a cheque, but making a national statement.

“We are declaring that the arts matter and that arts education matters and that the dreams of our young creatives are worthy of serious investment,” added Bernard.

Oliver Samuels also took to the podium at the event to express great satisfaction, noting that within just a couple of months of launching his foundation with the help of Chairman Jeff Browne, he was one step closer to achieving the foundation’s mandate — dismantling the financial barriers to arts education.

“This foundation is my way of giving back to Jamaica. Our plan is to give annually four scholarships, because we see the arts as an important platform in moving Jamaica forward,” Samuels said.

Launched in November 2025, the Oliver Samuels Foundation aims to make a career in the arts accessible to all by dismantling financial barriers.