BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, March 21, 2022 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) is again being commended for its commitment towards the advancement of the education of the nation’s youth.
During a ceremony held at the university’s campus on Friday, March 18, 2022, ten (10) students – eight from St. Kitts and two from the island of Nevis – were officially inducted into the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Scholarships Awards Programme that provides needed assistance towards the continuation of their education journey at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) and the Nevis Sixth Form College.
This year’s awardees were Kianja Pole who received the Dean’s Award; Kaidrian Ottley, recipient of the Leadership Award; Precious Estridge – the EDGE Award; Dwasani Woodley – the Glenville Henry Memorial Award; Shaniyah Wattley – the Yvonne Cotton Award; Alyssa Daniel – the Walter James Award; Arzandra Athurton – the Mova Simmonds Award; Tatiana Leader – the Lynette Issac Award; Alsanarda Hanley received the Ermine Cotton Award, and Chenoa Simmonds was awarded the Denise Fyfield Award.
The scholarship programme, now in its fifth year, provides financial support up to two years of tuition, books and other fees, a stipend towards uniform and transportation, and six weeks of paid internship at the Ross University.
Senator the Honourable Wendy Phipps, who presented remarks on behalf of Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, who was unable to personally attend this year’s awards ceremony, stated that a total of 64 students have benefited from support over the five years of the scholarships programme.
“This ceremony, therefore, provides strong testimony of the unwavering commitment of Ross University to the academic life of our Country and to ongoing investment in our education sector. The Scholarship Programme, by extension, also demonstrates the partnership role of Ross University with our Government in helping to build the stronger, safer future for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” Minister Phipps said.
In stressing the importance of education, the minister stated that education is long regarded as one of life’s greatest levelers.
“Education, in my opinion, is also one of two major weapons needed for the eradication of poverty and the creation of wealth. My other choice of ammunition is Entrepreneurship. On that score, I am heartened to learn that two of today’s scholarship awardees will be focusing on the study and practice of Entrepreneurship. I wish to encourage you to take this discipline seriously, given that the future economic backbone of our tiny Nation will depend, in large measure, on enterprise development, measured risk-taking in business, and the creation of jobs by our Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) sector,” Minister Phipps added.
The ten successful recipients of this year’s scholarship awards, who were selected from amongst a total of 180 applicants, were urged to be thankful for this opportunity and also encouraged to do their best to maximize on this investment being made in the pursuit of their higher education.
The students are pursuing studies in the fields of entrepreneurship, agricultural science, office administration management, environmental studies, law, accounting, teacher education, modern languages and automotive engineering technology.
