Corporate donors lauded by UWI – Dominican student wins CIBC FirstCaribbean Scholarships

Corporate donors to the University of the West Indies came in for high praise recently for their continued support of the university especially in “trying financial times”.

Chairman of the Campus Council at Cave Hill, Sir Paul Altman, noted that access to funding was critical for the success of students and therefore corporate donors to the university “should be commended for their support of students in trying financial times”.

Sir Paul’s comments came as he addressed the 14th annual Students Awards Ceremony at the Cave Hill campus recently. He said the university’s “faithful donor partners” had demonstrated an understanding of the importance of investing in the region’s most important resource – its people.

Among the donors singled out for its commitment to the campus was regional bank CIBC FirstCaribbean, the largest donor of undergraduate scholarships to the campus. Since 2003 the bank has donated 15 one-year scholarships annually valued at USD$2 500 each, across a number of disciplines.

His comments were echoed by Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of Cave Hill, Profession Eudine Barriteau, who also welcomed the private sector and non-governmental organisations’ continued support for the university.

“The lifelines that the scholarships offer enable many students to achieve their goals, which in many cases could not have been realized otherwise. It is the generosity of our benefactors that makes our annual student awards ceremony possible,” the principal said.

The bank’s Director of Corporate Communications, Debra King, presented this year’s scholarships totaling US$37, 500 to 15 outstanding undergraduate students from Barbados, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Eudorra Bertrand, a microbiology student from Dominica was among this year’s scholarship winners.

Other winners of the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Scholarships for the academic year 2016/2017 are: Barbados; The Bahamas; Emma Tuletta (Psychology) and Yamir Smith (Medicine), Barbados; Jamaica; Morganne Kellier (Law), Alexidene Fraser (Law) and Samuel Bailey (Law) and Trinidad and Tobago; Sherraine Cunningham (Medicine), Allisia Williams (Law) and Kerneisha Skeete (Medicine).