Jamaican Students to Receive Book Scholarships

Four students of Jamaican heritage are to receive the Professor Gordon Shirley Book Scholarship Award.
The award was created by the Jamaican Nationals Association (JNA), in 2007, in honour of former Jamaican Ambassador to the United States (US), Professor Gordon Shirley, who is now Principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Book scholarships will be awarded to the four college or university students, who are in financial need, reside in the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area and who have achieved a 3.0 average grade and above.
A student reception will be held at the residence of Jamaica’s Ambassador to the U.S., Anthony Johnson, on Saturday (October 11), starting at 4:00 p.m. The event will be hosted by the Jamaican Nationals Association (JNA), in collaboration with the Embassy of Jamaica.
According to, Chairman of the JNA Education Committee, Jennifer Asher, “the scholarship, which is in its second year, is in recognition of former Ambassador Shirley, a pioneer in the field of education, and one who gave excellent support to the JNA and Jamaican community activities within the Washington Metropolitan area.”
“The student reception was initially introduced in 2007 by the JNA’s Education Committee to provide student outreach and networking opportunities for Jamaican students attending colleges and universities in the Metropolitan area,” she added.
Ambassador Johnson will deliver the keynote address at the reception, which should attract an estimated 150 college and university students and faculty members.
The JNA is the premier organisation representing Jamaicans in the Washington Metropolitan area. It was established in 1969, by Jamaican students attending area colleges and universities.