Two Belizeans earn scholarships to UWI
From a pool of more than six thousand applicants from fourteen countries, tonight the University of the West Indies has announced that not one but two Belizean students have been honoured as recipients of open scholarships to study at UWI. They are Saint John’s College Junior College alumni Rensi Franklin and Jose Cawich. The awards include full tuition, room, board, books, miscellaneous fees and one return airline ticket to Belize. This afternoon, both young men expressed surprise and elation at the news, crediting the support of their families, the faculty of S.J.C., and officials of the UWI School of Continuing Studies here in Belize for their achievement. According to Cawich, who studied Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry, his stay on the Mona Campus in Jamaica will be a lesson learned in more ways than one.
Jose Cawich, UWI Open Scholarship Recipient
“Well I’m looking forward to the experience, since it will be a different environment for me and I’m really exited about it since I’m really into reggae and dancehall music, so I think it’ll be quite an experience. I will be studying bio-technology in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences and I’m looking forward to the experience.”
Rensi Franklin, UWI Open Scholarship Recipient
“It just goes to show that yes you can become involved extra-curricularly, but you also have to know where your priorities lie. Like I always tell my little cousins who are coming up behind me, you need to study, you know what you want to do, I know what I want to do, so just make sure you go and reach for the stars and you can attain anything.”
Janelle Chanona
“What will you study Rensi?”
Rensi Franklin
“Well I was majoring in Biology, Physics, and Math in Sixth Form so now what I wanted to do was Bio-Medical Engineering.”
Franklin and Cawich placed in the top ten of all the candidates who sat the UWI scholarship examination in March of this year. Their award marks the third consecutive year Belizean students have been academically recognised by UWI, with Kimberly Haughton honoured in 2003 and Victor Lizarraga Jr. in 2004. Cawich and Franklin are scheduled to arrive at Mona on August twenty-fourth with classes set to start in early September.
