Recipients of grants under energy company bpTT's unique Brighter Prospects tertiary education scholarship award programme are taking full advantage of the opportunity to pursue higher education. A total of 150 new and current students from the wider Mayaro community received grants for the 2010 academic year at a cheque distribution function at the Mayaro Resource Centre last Saturday. Some 32 students are newcomers to the programme, while 118 are in their second and third year of studies at various tertiary institutions. First-year recipient Joshua Dowridge, 18, of Newlands Guayaguayare, said the funds would "go a long way" in helping him to meet expenses for books, travelling and lunch during his studies in Industrial Maintenance at Metal Industries Company in Point a Pierre.
"This grant will be a great help, since I won't have to worry about how I will meet my personal expenses. I will be able to concentrate on my studies," he added. Celena Rigaldi, of Radix Village, a second-year student at the School of Business and Computer Science, was also high in praise of the Brighter Prospects initiative. "This programme is very beneficial to students who want to pursue their academic dreams but have limited funds at their disposal. It opens the door for us to pursue our dreams. This is one of the best programmes that bpTT has started in Mayaro." said Rigaldi.
Launched in 2003, Brighter Prospects has awarded more than 200 scholarships since its inception. A total of 53 students have graduated from several educational institutions so far. A notable feature during last week's exercise was a one-on-one discussion, conducted by motivational speaker Don la Foucade, with students who were having trouble with their studies. Cherril Sobers, social investment adviser, bpTT, who supervised the cheque distribution, said that several students who received poor grades in the past were now A-grade students following counselling.
"One of the main planks of the programme is the counselling and motivational support we provide to students who experience academic or other challenges. Judging from the results, we are proud that students who may have dropped out are now excelling in their studies, following this timely intervention," Sobers said. Brighter Prospects students have graduated from academic institutions such as the University of the West Indies, Costaatt, the Trinidad and Tobago Hotel and Tourism Institute, Cipriani Labour College and Metal Industries Company, as well as several private institutions. Several have gained employment with bpTT or a service provider operating at the Beachfield Project in Guayaguayare.