MONTEGO BAY, St James — In debt and strapped for cash as his family struggles to recover from Hurricane Melissa, Damario Hutchinson has been applying for any available grant or scholarship that will keep him in law school. Now he is breathing a bit easier after receiving a $100,000 grant from funds raised through last year’s MBJ Charity Run/Walk.

He was one of 184 high school and tertiary-level students presented with cheques during a ceremony earlier this week.

“My roof went, my aunt lost her house, so you can imagine that all the focus for me shifted to repairing and rebuilding. I don’t have it now and I am uncertain where the financing will come from in regards to the degree, but I must say that this contribution from the MBJ is significant,” he said.

Hutchinson was speaking with the Jamaica Observer on the sidelines of the MBJ Charity Run/Walk “Destiny Helpers” Grant Awards Ceremony held at Sangster International Airport’s Departures Terminal on Tuesday.

“When I saw the MBJ grant up for grabs, I took the opportunity. I basically wrote and told them my story. I was authentic with it, I told them what was really happening. Right now, as I am speaking, I am in debt from my law degree. As a first-year student in the Faculty of Law, UWI [The University of the West Indies] Mona, it’s a bit of a costly degree, but one I would say is a transformative degree because my aim is to become the president of the Caribbean Court of Justice,” said Hutchinson.

His confidence comes from his ability to overcome challenges and the foundation on which he has been building his life.

“My story, I don’t want it to look bad, but I was left by my mother at about two years old with my great-grandmother who at the time was about 80. She is now 100 years old and so I continue to be guided by her philosophy and just what she would have grounded me in,” he explained.

The MBJ grant will not cover all Hutchinson’s needs, but he is grateful for the chance to keep his dream alive just a bit longer. Sadly, his challenges are not unique.

William Knibb High School student Abby-Gaye Dunkley, who is studying law at the Trelawny-based institution, has also seen her studies hampered by last October’s passage of the Category 5 storm.

“Most money from my family has been allocated to the hurricane relief. Therefore getting a bit of money to at least push me forward for paying exam fees, school fees makes me feel like I am alleviating a burden off my family,” the grade 13 student said gratefully.

Her family home lost its roof and the $40,000 grant towards school expenses is welcome. That was the same amount presented to a grateful deputy head boy at Cornwall College, Jordan Forrester.

“The support is much needed, especially after experiencing Hurricane Melissa. There is a lot of support that my family and I need as it regards to getting the assistance with relevant learning materials because you know the CAPE [Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination] is about to start and normally we need extra tutoring to really get those results that we want,” he told the Observer.

“I want to study medicine. It is very competitive, hard to get into, and it’s a very expensive course. This money is going towards my CAPE results to ensure that I get into the faculty of medicine,” Forrester added.

Thanks to sponsors and participants in the MBJ Charity Run/Walk, a total of $30 million was handed out to students and institutions this year. Several students with disabilities received $300,000 towards their education.

Chief executive officer at MBJ Airports Limited Shane Munroe urged recipients to make the best of the support they have received.

“It’s important to note that this is not a charity, it’s an investment. It’s an investment in you because we believe that your education is the single-most powerful engine of change in Jamaica,” he told those gathered.

“Whether you intend to become a doctor, an engineer, a teacher, an entrepreneur, you are sitting here, young, determined, and in need of someone who believes in you,” added Munroe.

He said, as they have done for the last five years, MBJ, through its foundation, is committed to providing meaningful support. The initiative has raised $71 million and provided support to 1,720 students to date.

“Take this grant, use it wisely, and let it fuel your next chapter. Whether you are preparing for CSEC [Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate], for CAPE, whether you are at [The] UWI or UTech or halfway through a degree at any of our fine institutions, know that the entire MBJ community is behind you. When you succeed, as I am confident you will, I ask only that you consider yourself also a destiny helper and pay it forward to lift someone else,” Munroe urged.

Deputy head boy at Cornwall College Jordan Forrester says the grant will be used to ensure he has the tools needed to get the CAPE results for the Faculty of Medicine.

William Knibb Memorial High School’s Anna Gaye Dunkley says the grant will take some of the burden off her family which is still trying to recover from losing their roof to Hurricane Melissa. 

Students, parents, guardians, sponsors and MBJ staff during Tuesday’s MBJ Charity Run/Walk “Destiny Helpers” Grant Awards Ceremony held at Sangster International Airport’s departures terminal.