Queen's College graduate Hodari Prince, 17, is the newest All Bahamas Merit Scholarship (ABMS). He has been awarded $140,000 ($35,000) per year in scholarship money towards his studies at the University of Guelph where he will pursue biomedical engineering.
Hodari is the country's 29th ABMS recipient in 28 years.
The ABMS is the most prestigious national scholarship awarded to a Bahamian candidate.
"It truly does mean a lot for me to be named the All Bahamas Merit Scholar in 2023. It is a great honor to be bestowed upon me, and is one which I do not take lightly. My country has now formally bestowed its trust and faith in me to go out into the world, get an education and pay back dividends towards the advancement of The Bahamas," said Hodari.
He also was not quite surprised to hear his named called as the newest ABMS, but he said he was taken by surprise.
"I knew that the competition was a field full of very accomplished and stellar young people, and thus I was nowhere near sure I would receive the scholarship."
He was one of 23 candidates - 12 males and 11 females - that had qualified for the prestigious award.
Hodari scored 1,440 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), and graduated high school with a 4.19 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
He also passed 10 Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams with A grades - English literature, English language, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, combined science, religious education, French, and geography.
His AP subject scores were psychology-5, human geography-5, biology-4, English literature and composition-4, French language and culture-3, and calculus AB-3.
Hodari's AP awards included AP Scholar with Distinction, and AP International Diploma.
The Queen's College graduate said the ABMS award was not necessarily one he aspired to achieve, but that it was something he always knew was attainable. When the time came, Hodari said it was fitting that he "threw his hat in the ring" and give it his best shot at trying for the scholarship.
Hodari did not apply for any other scholarships, but is the recipient of an entrance scholarship from the University of Guelph, valued at $7,500CAD per year, approximately $5,600BSD.
The son of Sheldon Prince and Mystee Spencer-Prince who plans to pursue studies in biomedical engineering said he has always wanted to be behind the development of, and advances in, medical technology, especially with things like prosthetics and organ development.
"I would say that I have been influenced by my parents, who both work in the healthcare field, and have dedicated their lives to helping people. Coupled with my fascination for biology and biochemistry, biomedical engineering felt like the field for me.
"I plan to help turn The Bahamas into a hub for scientific research and development, with a strong base in biomedical research and development. My goal is to eventually establish this nation as a leading country in the Caribbean and maybe the world in biomedical advances, a country which may even develop groundbreaking technology such as fully functioning organs made from scratch which do not face rejection and have no need for harmful immunosuppressants in patients."
Education is important to Hodari not only as a means to a job, but he said as a mindset and way of life.
"Education is not simply studying in college or a doctorate's degree, but the everyday commitment to learning more about your passion and enriching one's mind with new and challenging information as an expression of who one truly is."
Hodari said his parents never forced him to study, nor to pick a career path for college. But he said they encouraged him in reading and "fostering my gifting wherever they may lie".
"To me, education and good grades were always important, as it did not go without saying that giving my best in my studies was not an option. However, that was less of a spoken principle in my home and more of a tacit agreement. My parents never worried about my grades, and they encouraged me to also do the same. They only asked that I focus, give everything my best shot, and if confused or stuck, reach out for help.
"In fact, my father recounts the time when I was two years old, and I was trying to read Robert Kiyosaki's, 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' (the book was apparently upside down though!)."
To relax, he said he likes doing things like watching geopolitical videos on YouTube, reading his world atlas, playing chess and spending time with his sisters and parents over board games like Monopoly, or video games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. He also enjoys reading other books about vexillology (study of flags), science, and learning languages, such as French and Korean.
As he prepares to depart for his freshman year, Hodari's advice to his peers for their final three years of high school is to stay focused, at all costs.
"Your last three years of high school can make or break your future, so don't let anyone try to take you off of the path that you have set for yourself. Once you finish high school, even if you are not sure of what you want to do in your life, there will always be the firm foundation you laid for yourself in high school, which will pay more dividends than you might think."
While the ABMS has been announced, the ABMS runner up, the second highest level of merit scholarship awarded by the government, has not been announced publicly; neither have the recipients of the National Merit Scholarships (NMS).
The ABMS scholarship has a maximum value of $25,000 per year for up to four years and is tenable at accredited universities locally or abroad.
To be considered for the ABMS award, applicants must have a GPA of 3.7 and above, a minimum of eight BGCSE's with at least eight A passes, have applied or been accepted to an academically prestigious accredited college or university, have an SAT score of 1,220 and above, demonstrate excellence in co-curricular activities, possess an unwavering dedication to improving the lives of Bahamians and demonstrate a strong moral character and the potential to lead.
To be considered for the NMS, applicants must have a GPA of 3.5 and above, achieve an SAT score of 1,220 or higher, possess a minimum of seven BGCSE A passes and have applied or been accepted to an academically prestigious accredited college or university.
The ABMS is a collaboration between the Central Bank of The Bahamas and the Ministry of Education.
The candidate who is awarded the ABMS is exceptionally well rounded and has applied or been accepted to an academically prestigious international college or university.
In 2019, two ABMS were named for the first time in the award's history in Mahlia Neely, a 2019 Queen's College graduate, and Dehron Smith, a 2017 Nassau Christian Schools (NCS) graduate.
Smith was a 2017 NCS graduate who received the award two years after graduating high school. He was the first NCS student to be awarded the ABMS.
Neely and Smith were the 24th scholars to receive the ABMS award after its 1993 introduction.
Bahamian high school graduates may still be eligible for the scholarship if they continue in any high school extension program (approved by the committee) for a maximum of two years after graduating from an approved Bahamian high school. The students must apply during the second year of their studies. Candidates must have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 and above, a minimum of eight BGCSEs with at least eight A passes, SAT score of 1,220 or higher or an ACT (American College Test) score of 25 or higher.
Smith was a United World College (UWC) Hong Kong scholarship recipient. He was eligible to receive the ABMS in 2019, two years after graduating high school and after completing the UWC program, which is considered an extension of a high school program. Applicants for the ABMS and NMS can apply once the two UWC years are completed.
Candidates for the 2023 award came from three islands - New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera.
Participating schools were Bishop Michael Eldon School, Queen's College, St. Augustine's College, St. John's College, Sunland Baptist Academy, St. Anne's School, and Central Eleuthera High School. The Central Eleuthera High School student was the lone public school candidate.
The ABMS is the highest level of merit scholarship awarded by the government. It is valued at $35,000 per annum for up to five years depending on the degree pursued and is valued between $140,000 over four years; or $175,000 over five years dependent on the degree program, and tenable at accredited universities locally or abroad.
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