HEART/NSTA Scholarship Places First-Generation University Student on Path to Law Career

A scholarship he almost did not apply for has placed 31-year-old Kishan Clarke on a path to profoundly change his life trajectory and enable him to give back to the Mountain View community where he grew up.

The University of the West Indies (UWI) graduate and law student, who is the first person in his family to attend university, received a scholarship from the HEART/NSTA Trust.

A past student of Clan Carthy High School in Kingston, Mr. Clarke was in his first year at UWI, Mona, pursuing a degree in political science when a friend sent him a flyer about the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Tertiary Scholarship Programme, encouraging him to apply.

He tells JIS News that, at first, he was hesitant, as his course of study was not in a vocational area. However, he decided to take a leap of faith.

Years before, just after leaving high school, he had completed level two administrative training at the HEART/NSTA Trust. In addition, he was in financial need, which was one of the criteria for the scholarship.

Mr. Clarke says that even after submitting the application, he remained skeptical.

“I received an email saying ‘Congratulations, your application has been received, and you’ll be notified of the interview’. Before the interview, I said to myself, you are not leaving without obtaining the scholarship,” he recalls.

In 2023, Mr. Clarke was awarded the scholarship, which covered 80 per cent of tuition for the remainder of his university tenure.

Before receiving the award, the first-generation university student, who comes from modest circumstances, was struggling to finance his studies.

“I was able to beg, borrow, beseech for the first semester. I was like, okay, I’m in my second semester now, what am I going to do? The scholarship came just in time. A burden was lifted off my shoulders,” he shares.

Mr. Clarke completed his political science degree in June 2025 and began studying law in September 2025.

His decision to pursue law was shaped by his life growing up in Mountain View and a desire to advocate for underserved communities.

“I want to be in a position where I’m able to educate. A lot of people in the inner cities, they’re unaware of their rights, their basic fundamental rights,” he tells JIS News.

Mr. Clarke is funding his law degree through a payment plan and income from working as a mixologist.

Beyond his personal achievements, Mr. Clarke is committed to giving back.

He hosts mentorship sessions with young men in his Mountain View community, many of whom are high-school dropouts, encouraging them to explore TVET pathways.

“Go [to HEART], get a skill; do the electrical course, do the plumbing, do the mechanic, do the carpentry courses. They’re there and it doesn’t cost much. This is an opportunity. This is a second chance that you are getting to make something of yourself,” he encourages the youngsters.

Mr. Clarke tells JIS News that he is “eternally grateful” for the scholarship provided by HEART and has become an unofficial ambassador for the institution.

“I always tell people who I encounter about the HEART/NSTA Trust and the programmes that they offer. I believe people ought to know. The traditional professional areas are saturated and there are other skill areas that people can learn,” he points out.