Students receive help just in time to support new school year

For Jodean Henry, the journey from high school to university was clouded by uncertainty. The William Knibb Memorial High School student knew she wanted to move forward but, like many young Jamaicans, the question of how to fund that dream weighed heavily.

There was one evening, she recalled, when the pressure became overwhelming. “I genuinely felt like I was going backwards,” Henry shared. “I sat down, I prayed, I was crying, and I made a [social media] post saying I didn’t know where I was going to get the money from.” Minutes later, her teacher called. “She said, ‘You got it,’” Henry said, reflecting on the moment she learnt she had been selected as a recipient of WATA’s Hydrate to Educate grant. “I cannot put how excited I was into words. Even right now, I’m like, wow, I’m really here.”

Henry was among the student awardees recognised at the WATA Hydrate to Educate Awards Luncheon, held at the S Hotel in Montego Bay on Wednesday, August 26. The luncheon celebrated students and schools from western Jamaica as part of WATA’s wider education support initiative, which provides grants to help students offset school-related expenses and assist schools with improving learning environments.

For Henry, the grant is confirmation that her efforts, and the support of the teachers who stood with her, have not gone unnoticed. Speaking during the luncheon, she said one of her greatest challenges was bouncing back after the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa, which forced students and teachers to adjust to online classes and reduced access to learning materials. “My biggest challenge was trying to bounce back,” she said. “If it weren’t for my teachers, I genuinely would not have overcome it.”

That gratitude was echoed by Tashana Fagan, a past student at York Castle High School, who is preparing to begin a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at The University of the West Indies. Fagan, who was also second runner-up in the St James Festival Queen competition, said the WATA support came at a decisive moment.

“I was praying and saying, should I go to university this year or should I take a gap year?” Fagan shared, “when my sister called and told me I was a recipient, I said, ‘Wow.’ Less than 24 hours later, I knew I could go and start the university process.” For Fagan, the grant will assist with expenses related to tertiary education, including residency fees and other costs required to begin university.

Through the Hydrate to Educate initiative, WATA supported 31 students and 14 schools across Jamaica this year. Each student awardee received $200,000 to assist with education-related expenses, while selected schools received grants of 1 million each to help address infrastructure needs, school preparation and projects aimed at improving learning conditions. These schools included Rhodes Hall High School, Mount Alvernia High School, Holland High School, Maggotty High School and Petersfield High School.

Both Henry’s and Fagan’s stories reflected the purpose of Hydrate to Educate: helping young Jamaicans stay on course when finances, disaster or uncertainty threaten to interrupt their dreams.