The winner of the 2021 ACB Caribbean Louis H Lockhart Scholarship is Blossom Richards, the bank announced in a release yesterday.
Richards was awarded EC $50,000 to complete a BSC in Accounting and Finance at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
“Ms Richards is a committed and resilient young lady who has faced life’s challenges with a positive attitude. These attributes shone through in her application and interview, and we are proud to support her in her final year of study,”remarked Director at ACB Caribbean and the Chairman of the Scholarship & Education Committee, C Kamilah Roberts.
Richards, who was ecstatic that she was declared the 2021 recipient of the scholarship said: “When I got the call all I could do was say; Yes, Yes, Yes! I was in shock. When I hung up, I screamed. I would like to thank ACB Caribbean for providing me with this opportunity, it is a very positive thing that they have been doing for all recipients over the years. This scholarship will allow me to complete my degree at UWI, Cave Hill Campus. I am deeply grateful.”
Meanwhile, ACB Caribbean also awarded two Bursary recipients for the 2021 edition of the programme, instead of the customary one. They are Kishona Aubrey and Josan Phillip, who both wowed the Committee during the screening process with their respective commitment to excellence and sincere personalities. They each received bursaries valued at EC $5,000 to complete their respective degree programmes at UWI Open Campus in Antigua and Barbuda in Human Resource Management and UWI Five Islands in Accounting (Special).
Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager, Marita Laurent, congratulated the winners and commented: “This year was a pivotal year for the programme as we have expanded the eligibility criteria for both scholarship programmes to include all Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, a progressive step that is testimony to our commitment to inclusiveness as we expand into the region. We wish all recipients congratulations and much success for the future.”
The Scholarship & Education Committee consisted of representatives of the Board and Management of ACB Caribbean, and independent external stakeholders from the education system in Antigua and Barbuda.
The evaluations were done based on a multi-tiered scoring system taking various factors into consideration such as academic performance, financial need and career aspirations.
“Antigua & Barbuda has seen many success stories as a result of this programme and ACB Caribbean is proud to have contributed to creating opportunities for aspiring graduates over the last two and a half decades,” Laurent stated.