Spanish Jamaica Foundation Awards $300,000 in Scholarships

The Spanish Jamaican Foundation (SJF) has awarded scholarships valued at $300,000 to five students of the HEART College of Hospitality Services in Runaway Bay, St. Ann.

The recipients are Matthew Bancroft, Tavia Rowe, Shadae Reid, Kimberley Bryan and Ganisha Lawrence.

They were selected for the awards, having met the SJF’s criteria of being functionally fluent in conversational Spanish, being active members of the college’s Spanish club, and maintaining a B+ average in their studies.

General Manager of the SJF, Karen Donaldson, who made the presentations at the college on Tuesday, October 27, charged the awardees to continue to work hard to achieve their academic goals and contribute to the country’s economic development.

“By the time you graduate, I am quite confident that you will be equipped to handle the many challenges that we are all faced with as well as to contribute positively to the broader demands of society on a global level,” she said.

She also encouraged them to “come on board as SJF Youth Ambassadors so that we will call on you as long as you are available to volunteer, to take part in our outreach activities.”

Ms. Donaldson said the SJF strongly supports education as an avenue for upward mobility and prosperity, and the fusion of education with foreign languages, particularly for those seeking jobs in the hospitality sector.

“We feel that this fusion …unites people, cultures, nations and also provides lasting opportunities for employment in the hospitality industry,” she said.

SJF also is spending $1 million on scholarships for teachers at Shortwood, Sam Sharpe and Church Teachers’ Colleges; $500,000 on scholarships for students at the Montego Bay Community College in St. James; and a further $250,000 on students studying at the University of the West Indies.

The SJF was created in 2006 as a non-profit organisation of goodwill, intended to deepen the friendship between the people of Spain and Jamaica.

Its mission is to ensure that Jamaican communities, particularly those close to the Spanish member companies, benefit from improved access to quality education, increased cultural awareness, and greater social integration.

The members include RIU Hotels and Resorts, Bahía Príncipe, Iberostar Hotels and Resorts, Grand Palladium – Fiesta Hotel Group, Secrets Resorts and Spa, Hospiten, The Excellence Group, Euro Divisas, and the Embassy of Spain in Jamaica.