Proud students and parents at last week's presentation ceremony of the Shipping Association of Jamaica scholarships are (from left): Cloudsley Brown, Akeeno Rhoden, Mrs. C. Brown, Klaudine Brown, Mrs. K. Rhoden, Michael Bernard, Michael Bernard (Sr.), Eleanor Reynolds, Diana Reynolds, and Richard Tomlinson who received on behalf of daughter Asonya. Missing from picture are Francesca Tavares and her father Francis Tavares. - Contributed

Seven students who were successful in the recent Grade Six Achievement Test, and who are children of shipping industry personnel, were recently awarded scholarships from the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ). The presentation ceremony took place last week at the SAJ offices in Newport West, St. Andrew.

The five-year scholarships are renewable annually based on academic performance and may be extended for studies after CXC. This year's recipients were: Michael Bernard, Klaudine Brown, Jenard Campbell, Eleanor Reynolds, Akeeno Rhoden, Francesca Tavares and Asonya Tomlinson.

Revelation

At the presentation ceremony, Diana Reynolds, HRD manager of the SAJ, noted that 208 scholarships had been awarded since the inception of the programme in 1985. She proudly revealed that scholarship winners have gone on to become doctors and judges.

Michael Bernard, president of the SAJ, congratulated both the students and their parents for success in the GSAT exams. He praised the parents "for giving your children the support they need and for instilling in our young people the values and discipline that will equip them to be our future leaders in government and industry - including shipping."

The SAJ president encouraged the youngsters to consider a career in shipping. He explained that shipping was a very vibrant and growing industry that required the brightest and healthiest people and that the industry employed a wide range of professionals such as engineers, pilots, accountants, stevedores and shipping agents.