JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Scholarship - More than Financial Support, Transforming Lives
As another school year draws to a close and another lays just below the horizon, hundreds of students and their parents are ‘on the hunt’ for scholarship opportunities available to assist them in meeting their financial obligations for the upcoming school year. The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation is one such organization that annually provides over 100 scholarships for students at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels; having given over J$7 million in scholarships in the 2017/18 academic year.
Chair of the Foundation, Patricia Sutherland notes that the annual scholarship exercise goes beyond providing financial support; in fact, a critical component of the scholarship is the investment in the country’s youth, by transforming the lives of recipients and supporting them in achieving their dreams.
As part of our holistic approach to support individuals and organizations, the Foundation affords all its recipients the opportunity to benefit from transformational training, led by a trained facilitator. This workshop explores: self-awareness, reflection paradigm-shifting, critical-thinking and visioning, among other areas. Sutherland shared, “through this workshop the Foundation is able to share tools with the recipients so that they can be empowered to achieve their dreams; enabling them to live more powerful lives and unlock their true potential.”
As part of its thrust to assist the nation’s youth to achieve their dreams, the Foundation has made it easier for suitably qualified applicants to apply, with its online application form on its website, http://www.joanduncanfoundation.org/scholarships-and-educational-grants. The application period runs until May 31.
As a testament to the transformational nature of the scholarship, Kristeena Monteith, who pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and is now producer of Talk Up Yute radio, indicated, “The scholarship afforded me… the opportunity to broaden my university experience and explore other aspects of myself (whether by) doing additional courses or participating in other extracurricular activities or volunteering; because I no longer had to worry about how my school fees were going to be paid.” While the financial support made her university life seamless, it was the five-hour transformational training session that had a long-lasting impact on Kristeena as she explains, “the session helped me to embrace the greatness in myself and to step outside of my limitations (even those) limitations I put on myself.” Armed with this newfound mindset, Kristeena outlines that this has enabled her to better define her path and achieve her goals. As such she has made great strides in positioning herself to reach greater heights in her career, moving from a production coordinator to a producer at Talk Up Yute in just a few years, and now looking forward to further studies in the field. She revealed that her push to apply for the prestigious Chevening scholarship to pursue a masters came as a result of the confidence she now has in herself and her limitless mindset; “before doing (that session) I would never have thought of applying for that scholarship, but now I don’t think there is anything I can’t do.”
Application Process
For the new academic year, the Foundation will be offer millions in scholarships primarily to students at the tertiary level, although financial assistance will also be given to students at the primary and secondary level, on a case-by-case basis. The Foundation seeks to award scholarships to individuals who are financially challenged, well-rounded, as evidenced by their involvement in extra-curricular activities or voluntary work done in their schools/communities, and satisfactory academic performance. The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, books and/or other school-related expenses.