THIRTEEN years behind a desk and another two years answering calls could not silence Kadian Neil’s dream of becoming a nurse. Now, after years of waiting, working, and wondering whether the opportunity would ever come, she is finally back on the path to becoming a registered nurse, proving that a dream delayed is not necessarily a dream denied.

Neil is pursuing that long-held ambition, studying at Excelsior Community College in an accredited programme through The University of the West Indies, with support from the JWN Foundation Scholarship Programme.

“I am so happy that JWN Foundation has seen my potential and has given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams at this level,” she said.

Her story reflects one of the central values behind the JWN Foundation scholarship programme, that financial circumstances should not determine how far a person’s aspirations can take them, a release from the foundation said.

“Delayed is not denied,” Neil is quoted as saying, expressing her renewed determination to complete her studies and enter the profession she believes she was always meant to pursue. “I am intrinsically motivated, and because of the value that the foundation has placed on me, I have even further impetus to go on. I feel that nursing is where I belong.”

JWN Foundation General Manager Garfene Grandison presents Daesha Brown with her Joy Spence STEM Scholar Award.

Neil is among hundreds of Jamaican students who are receiving assistance through the foundation’s scholarship programme, which seeks to provide educational opportunities while strengthening communities.

Of the 211 scholarship recipients, 71 are tertiary-level students — receiving critical support at a stage when the cost of higher education can become a major barrier to academic and professional advancement. For some of those students, the scholarship represents assistance with tuition. For others, it represents the difference between remaining enrolled and having to put their education on hold.

That reality is particularly evident in the story of 22-year-old Shacquine Willoughby, a former student of Kingston College who is working towards his goal of becoming a medical doctor and surgeon.

Willoughby is currently studying biochemistry at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Coming from Riverton Meadows, one of the communities served by J Wray & Nephew’s operations, he knows first-hand the financial challenges associated with pursuing higher education.

The annual cost of studying medicine can reach approximately $4.5 million, while the Students’ Loan Bureau provides assistance of up to $1 million. The financial gap became so difficult to manage that Willoughby was forced to take a year off from university.

“I had to sit out one year because it was very difficult to obtain the fees. I was put on a financial leave of absence,” he said.

At the time, he owed more than $850,000 and needed that amount, along with additional funds, to return to university. However, rather than abandoning his goal, Willoughby pivoted.

During his year away from school, he entered the creative industries and began working while practising financial discipline and saving towards clearing his outstanding balance. He eventually settled the debt and returned to his studies.

“As I always say, it is a dream deferred, not a dream denied,” he said.

Coming from a single-parent household with seven siblings, Willoughby understands the significance of the opportunity now before him.

“I have pivoted and I am now working and going to school. I am among the first generation of my family that has entered university, and also receiving a scholarship,” he said. “Getting the scholarship has been transformational. I feel the investment in my dreams is substantial, and I am motivated to move forward.”

At 21, Daesha Brown is navigating the demanding final stretch of her pharmacology studies, also at The University of the West Indies, while carrying the financial realities that come with pursuing a university education.

The former Immaculate Conception High School student is now in her fourth year, and the support from the foundation is helping to ease the financial burden of completing her degree.

Brown, a repeat scholarship recipient and one of three Joy Spence STEM Awardees, faces annual school fees of approximately $1.6 million. The Student Loan Bureau covers about $1 million, leaving a $600,000 shortfall. Brown says finding additional money has been challenging.

“I am from a single-parent household, where my mother is the sole provider. I have another sibling, so finances have been challenging,” she said.

Brown attempted to work while studying but found it difficult to maintain employment.

“I tried working, but it was difficult for any prolonged period because of the time constraints relating to the course of study,” she said.

The assistance from the foundation has, therefore, provided more than financial support.

“I am extremely grateful for the assistance from the JWN Foundation. The scholarship has relieved a great deal of pressure,” Brown admitted.

She also values the relationship the foundation has developed with its scholars.

“Based on my interactions with the foundation, they display qualities that indicate that they care about us. They definitely have an interest in us,” she added.

Brown is from Olympic Gardens, another community served by the operations of J Wray & Nephew Limited. The experiences of Brown, Willoughby and Neil illustrate why the JWN Foundation sees education as an important component of its community development work, the release said.

For young people in communities surrounding the company’s operations, access to education can create pathways to professional careers, greater economic independence and opportunities to give back to their communities.

JWN Foundation Director Marsha Haughton said the foundation’s commitment to education reflects the company’s broader responsibility to the communities in which it operates.

“These students represent some of the brightest minds among the many applications we received, and they are pursuing diverse career paths. The JWN Foundation is elated to be able to support them and ease some of the financial burdens associated with their education. We believe that investing in these students is also an investment in the future of our communities,” Haughton said.

The scholarship programme, for which applications usually open in mid-May, forms part of the wider community investment associated with the foundation.