$10m handed out to keep Jamaica's Promise to 25 students

Twenty-five Jamaica Independence scholarships, together valued in excess of J$10 million, have been awarded to final-year tertiary students by Jamaica's Promise, a United States (US) non-profit organisation.

The scholarships cover each student’s tuition for the year and are paid directly to the institutions.

Two of the awards are named in honour of the late Alsion Roach Wilson, former consul general of Jamaica in New York, and go to students pursuing banking and finance and business administration from the Guy’s Hill and Linstead areas of St Catherine, where she called home.

A breakdown of the funding shows that students at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, received five scholarships valued at J$2,224,293, while those at the University of Technology, Jamaica, received four valued at J$1,691,060. Students at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) received four valued at J$1,506,317.60, while those at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College received six valued at J$2,396,401.88. Students at Shortwood Teachers’ College were awarded four valued at J$1,597,651.52, while those at The Mico University College received two valued at J$778,500. The total disbursement amounts to J$10,194,224.

Thirteen of the 25 awardees are training to become teachers in primary, early childhood, secondary and special education, including deaf education, business and computer studies, chemistry, mathematics and science, and modern languages. Four are studying agriculture at CASE, with a focus on animal science and veterinary science. Two are nursing students, and one is a medical student at The UWI. The remaining awardees are pursuing banking and finance, business administration, actuarial science, economics and psychology.

The awardees come from every corner of the island, including Bounty Hall in Trelawny; Seaforth in St Thomas; Port Antonio, Portland; Mandeville in Manchester; Ocho Rios, St Ann; Montego Bay in St James and Kingston.

More than half of the recipients live in rural districts and include single mothers returning to college, first-generation university students, and young people who have kept a high grade point average while working, caring for family or rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa.

Jamaica’s Promise received 122 applications in the four weeks the programme was open. Beyond the 25 students selected, the committee identified many applicants who were equally deserving on merit and need but could not be funded from the resources available this year. Several described serious hardship: homes damaged by the hurricane, parents unable to work, and balances owed to their institutions that stand between them and their final examinations.

The application process opened in August 2026 and closed on September 4.

Eligible applicants were Jamaican nationals entering the final year of a programme at their institution.

Each completed application was scored by a review committee against a published rubric that weighted financial need most heavily, followed by academic performance, community involvement, rural residence, the personal statement, a referee’s affidavit and priority fields of study such as education, nursing, engineering, agriculture, banking and finance and accounting. Awards are paid directly to the institutions on confirmation of each student’s enrolment and tuition, and awardees are asked to report on their progress.

Christopher Benjamin, director of Jamaica's Promise, said there were many more deserving students than the organisation could fund.

“Reading these applications was both humbling and heartbreaking,” said Benjamin. “We could have funded twice as many students and still not reached everyone who deserved it. That is the clearest argument we can make to the diaspora: the need is real, the students are ready, and every dollar goes straight to a tuition account in Jamaica.”

Oliver Mair, consul general of Jamaica in New York, who took up his post in August, welcomed the awards.

“I want to congratulate each of these 25 students. You earned this through your grades, your service to your communities and your refusal to let circumstances decide your future, and I know Jamaica will be the better for what you go on to do,” he said.

“I arrived in New York after last year’s gala, so I cannot claim any part of the work that made this possible. What I can do is stand here and see what it produced: more than J$10 million going directly to tuition accounts at six institutions across the island.

"The gala was billed as a party with a purpose, and this is the purpose. This is the power of our diaspora, that a night of celebration in New York can become a chemistry teacher in St Thomas, a nurse in Trelawny and a veterinarian in St Catherine. Those graduates will serve their communities for decades, and that is an impact no single evening could ever measure. I look forward to being part of the next one.”

The 2026-2027 scholarships are funded from the proceeds of the Jamaica Independence Gala held in New York in 2025, an annual celebration hosted in partnership with the Consulate General of Jamaica, that brings together the Jamaican diaspora, friends of Jamaica and corporate partners in support of education at home.

Jamaica’s Promise aims to make the Jamaica Independence Scholarships an annual programme limited only by the availability of funding. Proceeds from the next Jamaica Independence Gala, together with individual and corporate giving through scholarshipsja.org, will determine how many students can be supported in 2027-2028.

Jamaica’s Promise also said it welcomed partners who wish to sponsor a named award, as the Alsion Roach Wilson Scholarships demonstrate.

Extracts from Personal Statements Submitted by Applicants

“My children are one of my greatest motivations. I want them to see that difficult circumstances do not have to determine the outcome of their lives and with faith, determination and hard work, it is possible to pursue and achieve one’s goals.”-Davina, final-year chemistry education student, Shortwood Teachers’ College, from Seaforth, St Thomas

“Investing in my education is a high-yield investment in Jamaica’s future. This award is not merely financial aid; it is a vital lifeline that will transform severe adversity into tangible achievement.”- Kayanta, banking and finance student, The University of the West Indies, Mona, and Alsion Roach Wilson Scholar

“I want my journey to show them that poverty can limit resources without limiting potential. This scholarship would help one student complete her education, but its impact would not end with me.”- Tifanny, actuarial science student, The University of the West Indies, Mona

“I will be the first person in my immediate family to attain a higher education. As a future nurse, I will have the opportunity to make a direct and positive difference in the lives of individuals and families.”- Aliah, nursing student, University of Technology, Jamaica, from Grange Hill, Westmoreland

“It is an investment in a mother who is determined to finish, in a son who deserves to see his mom graduate, and in the future students I have not yet met.”-Krystal, early childhood education student, Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College