Hanover celebrates 2026 Rhodes Scholar
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David Gardner (3rd left), chief executive officer at the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), presents 2026 Rhodes Scholar, Tiana Dinham (2nd right) with the keys to the town of Lucea. Looking on are HMC councillors (from left to right) Daren Barnes, Andria Dehaney-Grant (Dinham’s mother), Lennox Fray and Wynter McIntosh. Photo by Bryan Miller.
Western Bureau:
Tiana Shantae Dinham, Jamaica’s 2026 Rhodes Scholar from Maryland in Hanover, was honoured at a civic ceremony in Bustamante Square in Lucea on Friday. Family, friends, and members of the wider community gathered to celebrate her success.
The ceremony, which culminated in Dinham receiving the keys to the town of Lucea from the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), marked the first in a series of events recognising her academic achievement and excellence.
Also on Friday, a sign was unveiled in her honour on Main Street, Lucea. A gala dinner followed on Saturday at the Grand Palladium Hotel, and Sunday featured a service at the Lucea United Church, celebrating her success and seeking divine guidance for her future endeavours. The weekend concluded with a community day at her alma mater, Maryland Primary School.
Dinham is due to leave the island later this year to begin her studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Her academic journey spans Maryland Primary School, Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, and the University of North Carolina in the United States.
At Friday’s ceremony, several speakers praised Dinham’s resilience, consistency, graciousness, success, and strong values. Among them were Hanover Custos Lennox Anderson-Jackson; Kayon Whyne, principal of Mount Alvernia High School; Yvonne Hardy, representing the Ministry of Education Region 4; Andrea Purkiss, member of Parliament for Hanover Eastern; Heatha Miller-Bennett, member of Parliament for Hanover Western; and Andria Dehaney-Grant, deputy mayor of Lucea.
As a former head girl of Mount Alvernia High School, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, Dinham’s achievement was described by Whyne as a fitting milestone for the institution.
“When the announcement came from King’s House that you were named Jamaica’s 2026 Rhodes Scholar, you did not just win a scholarship, you handed Mount Alvernia High School the most magnificent grand 100th birthday gift we could ever dream of,” she said. “You proved beautifully that a century of dedication to nurturing strong, impactful women continues to bear the sweetest, most triumphant fruit on the global stage.”
Responding to the accolades, Dinham expressed gratitude to those who had guided and supported her, including her home community.
“When I heard the message behind this event, that it was to try and inspire the next generation, then I got behind it and said we need to have it,” she said, noting the personal sacrifices she had to make on her journey.
She added: “This recognition is not just about me. It is for my mother, my family, the entire Maryland community, my teachers, my friends, and my whole support system who saw and believed in me.”
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