Cheering on Chevening scholars
Published:Friday | August 19, 2011 | 12:00 AM
If ever there was a 'meeting of the minds', this was it. The latest recipients of the prestigious Chevening Scholarships were fêted on Wednesday by British High Commissioner Howard Drake at his residence on Trafalgar Road. His usual comedic banter in full swing, Drake quipped that with so many scholars in the gathering, "the IQ in this building has gone up considerably." He lauded the scholarships as the best grad-studies programme in the world, citing the various fields students choose, the networks they build and the contributions they make afterwards.
The 2011 recipients, all doing master's degrees are: attorney Yolande Whitely; registered professional engineer Leighton Facey; Government ballistics expert Dave Brown and project manager at National Housing Trust Christopher Montgomery. Whitely will study entertainment law at the University of Westminster; Facey will tackle sustainable energy systems at the University of Edinburgh. Brown, who is also manager for the integrated ballistics identification system, will study forensic science at the University of Strathclyde Glasgow; and Montgomery will do his degree in building and urban design in development at the University College of London.
The Chevening Scholarship is funded by the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office and are named after Chevening House in Kent, the official country residence of the UK Foreign Secretary. Established in 1983, the scholarships have been offered in over 130 countries, enabling talented graduates and young professionals to study their chosen subject while developing strong links with the UK and each other. Since the 1990s, over 150 Jamaicans have benefited from scholarships.