TWELVE Jamaicans have been selected to benefit under the Universal Service Fund (USF) ICT Education Grant Programme this year.

Seven of the recipients will receive the USF Emerging Digital Leaders Grant while five will receive the Digital Advancement and Professional Development Grant.

Together, the grants represent a $3-million investment in the educational and professional development of Jamaicans pursuing information and communications technology (ICT), and digital-related fields.

The Emerging Digital Leaders Grant, valued at $300,000, targets Jamaicans aged 17 to 28 who demonstrate academic potential, leadership qualities, community involvement, and a passion for advancing Jamaica’s digital future.

The Digital Advancement and Professional Development Grant, valued at $200,000, supports Jamaicans aged 30 to 40 who are pursuing undergraduate studies after attaining at least an associate degree or diploma and seeking to advance their professional development.

This year’s recipients include a mother pursuing her second degree alongside her daughter, and a young woman transforming a personal cyberattack into a passion for cybersecurity.

For one recipient, Davica Chambers, the Internet was once the place where she learned just how vulnerable she could be. Today, it is the space she is preparing to protect.

The University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) student is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Networking and Cybersecurity, driven by a personal experience that transformed her curiosity about technology into a career mission.

Chambers came face to face with the dangers of the digital world when her social media and PayPal accounts were hacked, and realised she had much more to learn.

“Somebody hacked into multiple of my accounts, and I was even shut out of some of them,” she recalled. “Before that, I had no idea of how dangerous cyberspace can be.”

Now, with the support of the USF, Chambers is one step closer to turning that experience into expertise. The grant, she said, has brought both relief and renewed determination.

“It means a lot to me because I will have less of a financial burden. I was very relieved. It brought me to tears because it means that someone believed in me and wanted to invest in my future,” Chambers said.

Chambers’ interest in technology developed after an earlier passion for chess. While attending Excelsior High School she competed in numerous tournaments and even represented Jamaica.

Grant recipients Rahemme Sammuel (left) and Djanae Jonas (right) join USF CEO Charlton McFarlane to affix their signatures to contracts during the official contract-signing for the 2026 USF ICT Education Grant Programme.

But her cybersecurity experience changed the direction of her career aspirations, prompting her to explore not only how to protect herself and others online, but also how networks and systems work.

Five years from now Chambers hopes to have completed her degree and additional professional certifications, with the technical expertise to “give back to Jamaica in a meaningful way”.

For another recipient, 39-year-old Tedisha Williams, the grant represents something equally powerful — the opportunity to pursue higher education alongside her daughter.

Williams, a final-year UCC student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in network and cybersecurity, is a mother whose daughter is studying information technology (IT) at the same university.

She said paying tuition for her daughter and herself was a little bit overwhelming.

“So when I received this grant initially I was very ecstatic, because that has taken a load off my back,” said Williams.

The arrangement has created an unusual but meaningful dynamic between mother and daughter. While they are not technically classmates, Williams jokes that they are “schoolmates at this time”, allowing her to help her daughter navigate university life and her courses.

The stories of Chambers and Williams reflect the broader purpose of the USF ICT Education Grant programme, which was established to expand access to education, develop a digitally skilled workforce, and empower Jamaicans to contribute meaningfully to the country’s digital transformation.

USF Chief Executive Officer Charlton McFarlane said the programme is part of the agency’s wider mandate to ensure that Jamaicans are not only connected to technology but are equipped with the knowledge and skills to use it to create opportunities and drive national development.

“Through our mandate we identified a group of young people who demonstrated the potential to contribute meaningfully to Jamaica’s digital future. More than 130 Jamaicans applied, and through your CVs and personal statements — which were essentially essays about your journeys, ambitions and aspirations — you rose to the point of selection.

“These grants are important because connectivity must be matched with capacity. By investing in education and digital skills we are helping to ensure that more Jamaicans can participate in, contribute to, and shape Jamaica’s digital transformation,” McFarlane said during this year’s official contract-signing with the recipients.

According to McFarlane, USF investing in people means helping Jamaica build the knowledge, talent and confidence needed to navigate and shape the country’s increasingly digital future.

USF, an agency under the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, is mandated to bridge the digital divide by ensuring Jamaicans have access to ICT. It has been operating the ICT Education Grant Programme for the past 25 years.