T'Ron Strapp (left) and D'Ron Strapp, the first recipients of the Carleton Williams Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC) Scholarship. (Caribbean Bottling Co. Ltd.)

If there is one thing Herman and Shama Strapp are cognizant of, it is that they knew they could not afford for both of their twin boys, D'Ron and T'Ron Strapp, to attend private school for secondary education -- even though both boys deserved the opportunity. So they sought avenues to give their children every possible advantage.

The Strapp boys and their parents made an application to The Wendy's & Coca Cola "Bright Minds, Bright Future Scholarship Program", a scholarship program open to sixth grade students graduating from local government primary schools. The program gives up to four qualifying students a full six-year scholarship to attend a participating secondary school on New Providence or Grand Bahama, along with an annual book allowance.

After the 11-year-olds were interviewed, Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC) representatives were so impressed they instantly wanted to assist the duo in achieving their immediate objectives and longterm goals. It was also the start of the grand idea that is now the Carleton Williams Caribbean Bottling Company Scholarship. The scholarship was established to celebrate Williams' contribution to CBC and continue his legacy of investing in the local community.

T'Ron and D'Ron, who graduated from Garvin Tynes Primary School with a 3.88 and 3.71 grade point average (GPA), respectively, are the first recipients of the full academic scholarship that is renewable annually.

The fraternal twins' mother said they were thankful, as parents, to not have to decide which of their boys would have gotten a private school education opportunity, or to have had to keep them in the public system. But at the same time, they wanted more for their sons, who had dominated academically and socially with healthy competition between each other.

In their final primary school year T'Ron and D'Ron served as head boy and deputy head boy, respectively.

"We are so thankful," said Strapp.

"I was happy and elated, because I was really trying to work for them to get a scholarship, because we couldn't afford to send both of them to a private school. But because of their hard work and belief in God, we believed something would work out," said the proud mother.

"When all of this came through, the first thing I said to them was 'Your hard work actually paid off'; and to not forget to give God thanks, and that they were blessed, because there are a lot of smart kids out there, but they got it."

Strapp described her boys as exceptional children, who set their goals and worked toward them while they, as parents, encouraged them in whatever way they could.

Cara Douglas, marketing manager of CBC, described the twins as outstanding young men with infinite potential.

"We look forward to watching them grow from this opportunity to become community-minded men who can pay this experience forward one day," said Douglas. "CBC is pleased to play a role in their lives and wish them continued success."

She said the Strapp brothers were excited to begin this new chapter in their academic careers and committed to excelling. In response to learning they were awarded the first CBC scholarship, the brothers wrote, "This opportunity will permit us to continue working even harder to achieve our future goals in an environment conducive to learning, while we continue to be role models," she said.

Strapp said she hopes her boys take away from this the fact that, as long as they're persistent and committed, trust in God, set goals and work hard, they can actually realize their dreams.

"I want them to be grateful. I want them to continue to stay focused, and to continue to set goals and to remember they have to work hard for what they want. It's the beginning of the school year, and may seem hard, but once they realize the ultimate goal they can't wait to the last minute to do the right thing. They have to continue to remain focused and work hard," she said.

The CBC academic scholarship will rotate annually between New Providence and Grand Bahama to one child graduating from a public primary school seeking attendance to a private school. Recipients must maintain a 3.25 grade point average (GPA) to retain the renewable scholarship annually. While the CBC scholarship only covers tuition, unlike the "Bright Minds, Bright Future Scholarship Program" scholarship, which also takes care of books, Strapp said what they paid for "is a drop in the bucket compared to what we would have dealt with". Tuition at Aquinas College is $1,541 per term.

The CBC scholarship is named in honor of Carleton Williams CBE, who was born in 1929, the second of eight children. He received his secondary education at Government High School. He began his career at the Treasury Department, where he learned the fundamentals of accounting and finance before he transitioned into the private sector at Navios Corporation, a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation. He later tested his business acumen, becoming an entrepreneur in 1964 as a contractor for a housing development.

From there he expanded his business to include retailing building supplies, and later went into fast food when he introduced McDonald's to The Bahamas. He ventured into the manufacturing sector with the purchase of CBC. Williams also served on several boards -- New Providence Development Company Ltd., the Central Bank of The Bahamas and Automotive Industrial Distributors (AID) Ltd. Recognizing the importance of giving back, he also served as a board member for local charities, such as the Salvation Army and The Crippled Children's Committee.

Committed to education, at age 50 Williams earned his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Miami. In 2016, at the age of 87, he resigned as the chairman of the board of CBC.

A little over a week into the school year at the school where the Strapp twins are expected to spend the next six years of their life, the twins are going through an adjustment period but settling in.

"They're getting used to not sitting in one classroom all day and having to take everything with them," said their mom. "They both joined the band [they play the trumpet], and D'Ron is trying out for basketball, while T'ron is trying out for softball."

Even though they are twins, for the most part, she said, they are very individual with their own interests and their own friends.

The twins chose to attend Aquinas College. It was actually the only entrance exam the boys sat, according to their mother. She said they really wanted to enroll in that institution. As parents, she said, they also wanted their boys to sit other school exams, but didn't have the funds for the twins to take all of the different school entrance exams.

Shavaughn Moss, Guardian Lifestyles Editor

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