Nine St. Mary students reap over $2m in scholarships

The Sydney A. Phillips Scholarship Trust Fund (SAPSTF) awarded approximately $2,250,000 to nine outstanding students from the parish of St. Mary on Friday, August 14, 2020 at the Headquarters of the Jamaica Producers Group (JPG).  

Funding for this year stems from the support of Jamaica Producers Group, who has been the major financier of the Fund since its inception, in addition to past scholars, whose generosity covers the cost of two of this year’s scholarships, and friends and family of the late Sydney A. Phillips.

The nine recipients have each successfully obtained scholarships valued at $250,000 per annum for the duration of their degree. In fact, the 2020 cohort includes six students from 2019 and three from the new, very competitive batch of applicants this year. 

Those continuing from last year include Shamona Bailey and Shando Buchanan, both Marine Engineering students at Caribbean Maritime University (CMU); Shereen LaTouche, a Science Education major at Mico University; Cedella McKie, Integrated Marketing Communications student at University of the West Indies (UWI); Xandrea Roach, Law student at UWI; and Natola Watt, Land Economy and Valuation Surveying at University of Technology Jamaica. 

Joining them are Joelle Greensword, a third-year Industrial Engineering at CMU; Kristina Selvyn, final year Psychology student at UWI and Ashley Gray, a second-year Sociology major at UWI.

According to Jeffrey Hall, CEO of Jamaica Producers Group, JPG’s support for this Fund and the parish of St. Mary remain unwavering.

“Jamaica Producers is the largest private employer in the Parish of St. Mary where we have operated for over 90 years. We have a strong commitment to the communities in which we do business, and this is the main reason why we have proudly remained steadfast in supporting the educational goals of bright young people from St. Mary — the home of JP Farms — through the Sydney A. Phillips Scholarship Trust.”

This is the first year that the Trust will be providing in excess of $2 million to the scholars. The previous highest being $1.5 million in 2019; bringing the Fund’s total contribution to education to $17.05 million in aid of St. Mary’s brightest.

Fondly known as the “Pay-It-Forward” scholarship, the SAPSTF assists students from the parish of St. Mary, who display excellent academic performance and community involvement. Elizabeth Phillips, director of SAPSTF spoke highly of the candidates and selection process.

“We have been very impressed and amazed by the level of knowledge, maturity and dedication of these young people. It really restores your hope in the future of this country, when you see this talent and this intent of purpose that is there,” noted Phillips.