Education scholarships awarded to Maldon Baptist Church teens

WESTERN BUREAU:

Eighteen-year-old Tianna Smith and 13-year-old Tousaint Desouza, two young members of the Maldon Baptist Church in Maldon, St James, are this year’s recipients of scholarships valued at $20,000 each, courtesy of the church’s Williams Education Scholarship Programme, which is in its 13th year.

The two teenagers received their scholarships on Sunday from relatives of the late Richard and Mavis Williams, in whose memory the programme was launched in 2007. The presentation took place during the Maldon Baptist Church’s Independence church service, which was part of this year’s Emancipation and Independence week of activities.

Tianna, who is a recent graduate of the Montego Bay Community College’s pre-university programme, said that her scholarship will help support her dream of entering the performing arts.

“I am still awestruck that I was chosen, and I am very appreciative of the scholarship, as it will help me in buying school supplies that I need to further my education in my first year at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. I want to have a career in the performing arts and be a cultural anthropologist,” said Tianna.

Tousaint, who will be entering his first year at Anchovy High School, was much more reserved, even as he expressed gratitude for his scholarship.

“I felt excited at first when I learned I was getting the scholarship. I can’t even explain how I feel now, but I am grateful for it,” said Tousaint, whose ambition is to become a chef.

Both recipients were chosen from a pool of applicants selected by the members of the Maldon Baptist Church, from within the church’s congregation and the wider community of Maldon.

Richard Williams Jr, the youngest of Richard and Mavis Williams’ 12 children, noted that the scholarship was launched following the passing of his parents, who were long-standing members of the church and had an interest in the educational development of young people.

“This fund was established in 2007, and already 24 persons have benefitted from it, and, for this, we give God all the praise and glory. My parents believed in education, and creating this scholarship fund is meant to continue their legacy,” said Williams. “It is our hope that this fund will help encourage you, the recipients, to complete your studies, because too many people start and do not finish.”