Eight Bahamians are among a record 36 Caribbean-based students who have received a portion of $141,800 in funding from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF), enabling Caribbean nationals to pursue higher education in hospitality and tourism fields.

Kirvez Ferguson has received a scholarship to Johnson & Wales to study food service management; Brittney Hanna will study culinary at Johnson & Wales; Tarran Simms will study sustainable tourism at Arizona State University; Dwayne Sinclair will pursue studies in hospitality management at Kendall College; Donovan Smith will study culinary at Johnson & Wales; Kenia Taylor will pursue studies in tourism management at Florida International University (scholarship funded by Interval International); Blaire Thompson will attend Johnson & Wales to study culinary and Travis Delva will pursue hospitality management at Johnson & Wales.

Scholarships were awarded based on prior academic achievements, previous work or internships in the Caribbean hospitality industry and economic needs.

Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) President Stuart Bowe said the association was pleased to once again partner with the CHTAEF in offering the scholarships to the deserving Bahamians to a university of their choosing.

“The BHTA has a strong workforce development program and our aim is to ensure the sustainability of our industry and equip future industry professionals with the relevant competencies for success,” said Bowe. “The BHTA with the assistance of our members will continue to support the New York Times Travel Show auction, which raises funds for this worthy initiative.”

CHTAEF chairman Richard Kahn said the Board of Trustees this year had a difficult time choosing who to provide funding for scholarships to due to the strong applicant pool.

“Most of the 85-plus applicants deserved to receive funds