Four students benefit from Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation

Wed, Feb 12th 2014, 07:16 AM

Four students are the latest to benefit from the Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation, taking the total number of scholarships awarded by the Foundation to 21, at the cost of just over $100,000Demonica Brown, a graduate of L.W. Young Junior School, joined Jefferson Stubbs, who currently attends St. Anne's School, at St. Anne's School; while Eleanore Simmons, a graduate of H.O. Nash Junior High School, and Moriece Forbes of St. John's College will study at St. John's. The scholarships are for three years (2013-2016), for tenth through twelfth grades at the cost of approximately $5,000 per year per student.Since its inception in 2007, the Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation has carried out its mission to provide educational opportunities to deserving young Bahamians through its scholarship program. The Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation was launched on December 29, 2006 to celebrate the life of Hepburn, an exceptional young Bahamian who died at the age of 30 while studying law, after having completed a psychology degree."She [Tara] seemed to be at the height of everything," said her mother Claire Hepburn."She had finished her LLB, graduated that March... on April 14, 2006 she was dead. She had been accepted at College of Law to do her professional examination. Everything was just sailing for her. She was healthy, she exercised regularly and she just fell down. We were just devastated by her death."Out of pain and grief and trying to cope with the loss, Hepburn said they decided to keep Tara's memory alive through scholarship for students in high school. They also run the Tara Project on Saturdays for young people between the age of nine and 18 to give them exposure to activities they would not normally be exposed to. Through the project, Hepburn said they try to get the young people to understand that what they can conceive in their minds, that they can achieve, but that it takes commitment and focus. The Tara Project is run out of St. Gregory's Anglican Church on Carmichael Road. It's a space Hepburn said the young people can come to and feel free and not be worried about the circumstances in which they live. The program is not an Anglican one and as such it's open to everyone and not just Anglicans. Hepburn said they are able to use the church's space through the grace of the church's priest, Fr. Canon Sebastian Campbell and its members who are gung-ho on youth programs."The foundation 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," said Hepburn.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 grade nine. The scholarship is tenable at St. John's College and St. Anne's School.

In order to be considered for a scholarship, applicants must be nominated by their school, attain at least a 3.00 grade point average, have demonstrated leadership ability and/or community involvement, be of good moral character and successfully pass a minimum of five BJC subjects, which must include English and mathematics with grade of C or better. Applicants also may be required to attend an interview. The Tara Xavier Hepburn Scholarship covers full tuition and the cost of books.Hepburn said the Tara Xavier Hepburn Foundation Scholarship is made possible by the generosity of many donors including Lyndhurst Limited, Richard Campbell Limited, Dr. Livingston Marshall, Godfrey K. Kelly CMG and the Anglican Central Education Authority.

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