Dwayna Archer, Asianique Clarke and Deniel Rolle are the most recent recipients of the Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation Scholarship, bringing the number of scholarships awarded by the Foundation since its inception in 2007 to 29.
The trio received full scholarships to St. John's College for the academic years 2015-2018 for the 10th grade. The addition of these three scholars brings the total number of Tara Scholars currently enrolled in high school to 11. The other eight Tara Scholars are Jeffon Stubbs and Demonica Brown who will be entering twelfth grade at St. Anne's School; St. John's College students Moreice Forbes and Eleanore Simmons, who will be entering their final year when school resumes; and Monique Chandler, Shania Lewis, Ralph Sealy and Nastacia Turnquest, all of whom will enter 11th grade at St. John's.
The Tara Xavier Hepburn Scholarship is open to graduates of Government Junior Schools and students of St. John's College and St. Anne's School who have successfully completed ninth grade. The scholarship is tenable at St. John's College and St. Anne's School. Archer is a graduate of T.A. Thompson Junior School; and Clarke and Rolle are graduates of Anatol Rodgers High School. Rolle is also a member of the T.A.R.A. (Transforming, Affirming, Renewing and Assisting) Project, a youth organization for young people between the age of nine and 18 that exposes them to activities they would not normally be exposed to. Through the project, the youth are helped to understand that what they can conceive in their minds, that they can achieve, but that it takes commitment and focus. It was founded by Claire Hepburn in honor of her daughter, the late Tara Xavier Hepburn.
With the addition of the trio, another threesome -- Amanda Fowler, Edwin Greenslade and Jewel Sturrup, successfully graduated St. John's College with the help of the scholarship. Fowler who aspires to become a physician, received a full scholarship to pursue a degree in biology and chemistry at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. Greenslade received the Archdeacon Keith Cartwright Award for Perseverance during the commencement ceremony. He is enrolled at the College of The Bahamas (COB) where he is pursuing an associate degree in civil engineering technology.
Sturrup is enrolled at COB and is pursuing a degree in early childhood education. To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must be nominated by their school or be a member of The T.A.R.A. Project, attain at least a 3.00 grade point average (GPA), have demonstrated leadership ability and/or community involvement, be of good moral character and successfully pass a minimum of five Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) subjects, including English and Mathematics, with grade "C" or better. Applicants may be required to attend an interview. The Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation Scholarship covers full tuition and the cost of books.
The Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation was launched on December 29, 2006, to celebrate the life of Hepburn, who died at the age of 30 while studying law, after having completed a psychology degree, and is dedicated to the holistic development of young people by empowering them to achieve a positive sense of self and to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and contributing citizens.
A key goal of the Foundation is to encourage young Bahamians to take maximum responsibility for improving themselves, according to Tara's mother, Claire Hepburn who said it was clear from their achievements both in the classroom and outside that The Tara Xavier Hepburn Scholars were doing just that. The donors that have made the Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation Scholarship possible include Giovanna Knowles, Katharine Seiler, Richard Campbell Limited, Dr. Livingston Marshall and the Anglican Central Education Authority.
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