The hard work and dedication of 20 students paid off yesterday when they received scholarships to attend university.  Eleven of the students were the recipients of more than $1.5 million in scholarships given out through the All-Bahamas Merit Scholar Award Program funded by the Lyford Cay Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Central Bank.

Nine other students received full scholarships to further their studies at universities in the People's Republic of China.  At the All-Bahamas Merit Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship presentation, Minister of Education Desmond Bannister said the awards were actually investments in the future development of The Bahamas.

He added that the achievements of the awardees prove that family support is a key component in the success of education.  Bannister said the achievements also demonstrate that students who take responsibility for their own education succeed "because they do not depend solely on others for their success."

"While some students are finding all manner of excuses for their educational shortcomings and blaming others for their lack of success, these trailblazers...are proof that it does not matter where you started the race or how you started, but where you end it," said Bannister.  Jamia St. Clair-Moss, a graduate of St. Augstine's College, took home the $140,000 All-Bahamas Merit Scholarship.

Moss achieved all A's in eight Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education exams; a score of 1990 on the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test and a grade point average of 3.93.  Moss intends to use the scholarship to enter the pre-med program at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Minnesota.

She said she is going to pursue a double major of biochemistry and Hispanic studies. "I am really blown away to have been given such a chance, such an opportunity," she said.  There were 10 national merit award recipients.  Each award covers four years of higher education.

At the ceremony for the scholarships to study in China, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette and Chinese Ambassador Hu Shan told the students that they hold a great responsibility in continuing to foster bilateral ties between The Bahamas and China.  Those students study business administration, international studies, education and astrophysics, among other disciplines.

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