UCC Foundation Honours 65 Scholarship Recipients At 2026 Orientation
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Thursday, September 3, 2026: Sixty-five scholarship recipients of the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC) were honoured on Sunday, August 23, during the UCC Foundation’s 2026–2027 Scholarship Orientation, which welcomed awardees and challenged them to make the most of the educational opportunities before them. The event brought scholarship recipients together with the University’s leadership, members of the UCC Foundation, families and other stakeholders for a programme focused on academic success, personal development, leadership, service and seizing opportunities.
Chairman of the UCC Foundation and Acting Chairman of the UCC Board of Directors, Professor Dennis J. Gayle, congratulated the recipients and underscored the Foundation’s commitment to removing barriers to higher education and empowering students to positively impact Jamaica and the wider region.
“To our recipients, I challenge you to see these scholarships not simply as financial support, but as an investment in your future. Honour that investment through your performance, your character and, ultimately, through your willingness to give back,” Professor Gayle said. He encouraged the recipients to remember those who helped to create opportunities for them and, as they advance professionally and personally, to create similar opportunities for others.
Delivering greetings on behalf of Professor Colin Gyles, Professor Sheilah Paul, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, assured the scholarship recipients that the University remains available to support them throughout their studies. She also encouraged the recipients to consider how they could eventually extend the opportunities they have received to others.
“As scholarship recipients, we are hoping that you will come and give back, and that you will pull somebody else up as you go along,” she expressed. “It doesn’t have to be financial; be that support system that other students are really looking forward to.”
The recognition of the 65 scholarship recipients further demonstrates the UCC Foundation’s continuing commitment to helping deserving students pursue tertiary education while fostering a culture of achievement, service and altruism.
Executive Director of the UCC Foundation and Alumni Development, Christina Williams, outlined the Foundation’s role in supporting education, research and innovation, while emphasising that its relationship with scholarship recipients would extend beyond providing financial assistance.
“If you need support, we will provide it, because we don’t want to just be about the scholarship. We want it to be about an ongoing support system,” Williams told the recipients. She also announced plans for the Helping Hands Volunteers Programme, through which scholarship recipients will be encouraged to participate in Foundation-led community initiatives across Jamaica.
Guest speaker Vashawn Burnett drew on his own journey from challenging circumstances to becoming a specialist engineer at the Jamaica Public Service Company, encouraging recipients not to allow their starting point to determine their future.
Urging the students to take responsibility for their own development and become well-rounded, Burnett remarked, “Your circumstances may make your journey a little bit harder, but the truth is, it does not have to determine your destination.”
Councillor Jesse James Clarke of the Trafalgar Division also challenged the scholarship recipients to recognise that their achievements carry responsibilities beyond themselves, noting that they now represent their families, communities and the University.
Beyond celebrating the scholarship awards, the orientation provided recipients with information to help them successfully navigate university and understand the expectations associated with their awards. Students were encouraged to remain focused academically, take advantage of the wider UCC experience and recognise that the support they have received represents an investment in what they can ultimately contribute to their communities and society.
The UCC Foundation currently supports students through several scholarship programmes, including the First Generation Scholarship, Founders Day Scholarship, Helping Hands Scholarship, PATH Scholarship, Pathfinder Scholarship, Sean Thelwell Memorial Scholarship, Horace Roberts Memorial Scholarship, Trailblazer Scholarship and the UCC Alumni Association Scholarship, among others.
Through its scholarship programme, the Foundation continues to position higher education as a pathway to greater social and economic opportunities, while encouraging beneficiaries to transform the assistance they receive today into opportunities for others in the future.
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