With the Covid-19 pandemic raging and causing economic hardship on so many, the Gillian Whylie Scholarship Fund (GWSF) is pleased to announce the award of $500,000 in scholarships to three worthy students for the 2021-22 academic year.
Zori Blake of DeCarteret College received a scholarship valued at $200,000 to support her first year studies in Modern Languages at the University of the West Indies, while De Marley Cohen of St. Jago High School and Tiana-Lee Gray of Wolmer’s High School for Girls, both received a scholarship valued at $150,000 to support their studies toward completing the CAPE matriculation over the two year programme.
Blake has excelled at languages and finished 2nd and 3rd in the Caribbean in the CAPE examinations in Spanish and French, respectively. The Godfrey Lands resident in Mandeville quoted Confucius: “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”. “These words encapsulate my experience in studying foreign languages. For me, they are not work, but a passion.” the confident young lady remarked.
De Marley Cohen is a resident of Greater Portmore in St. Catherine. A tall and quiet spoken young man, Cohen was awarded the ‘Most Congenial’ student at St. Jago in 2019. His father is a deliveryman and financing his plan to do CAPE was always going to be difficult. However, his performance at languages and his exceptional work in co-curricular activities at the school make him a worthy candidate to cop the scholarship this year.
The GWSF is a registered and certified charity organization with an objective to promote the education and vocational training of Jamaican students with special emphasis on students pursuing studies in modern languages. It is In honour of Gillian Whylie, who was a graduate of St. Jago High School, Wolmer’s High School for Girls and CARIMAC at UWI. She was a linguist and at her passing four years ago, was the President of the Alliance Française de la Jamaïque, the French organization in Jamaica that promotes French language and culture.
This is the fourth year that the GWSF has awarded scholarships. The last awardee, Sareka Crawford, has now received a scholarship to study languages at the University of Bordeaux in France and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s National Youth Award in Academics in 2020.
Gray is the first recipient of a scholarship from Wolmer’s High School for Girls. She has shown exceptional debating skills, strong leadership qualities and a determination to succeed. The resident of Fletchers Land in the inner city of Kingston is destined for greatness. She says, “I am a firm believer of the statement: ‘Your environment should not dictate your future.’ I use my environment as motivation, rather than a barrier to my inevitable success”. The GWSF is excited to provide support for this exemplary student.
Only time will tell but these three young adults are worth monitoring as they will certainly make a positive impact on Jamaica in later life. We wish them well as they set out to achieve their dreams.
For further information on the Gillian Whylie Scholarships, please contact:
Paul Whylie
Executive Secretary – Gillian Whylie Scholarship Fund
24 Charlemont Avenue
Kingston 6
Tel. 876 864 2644
E-mail: [email protected]
