Scholarships

The two-time Olympic 100m gold medallist promises that the occasion will be one to remember.

Since its inception in 2013, the foundation has awarded scholarships to 73 student athletes across various sports from 26 schools across Jamaica. They are able to do so through generous backing from companies like GraceKennedy, Digicel and now National Baking Company Foundation, who donated JMD$1,000,000.00 to the foundation at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday when 11 more student-athletes were awarded scholarships.

Each scholarship recipient, in addition to the JMD$100,000 academic scholarship, will also receive, JMD$7500 NIKE book bag, official Pocket Rocket Foundation notebooks and Promise Pin, a JMD$15,000 Book voucher, a $10,000 GraceKennedy Food Basket and a JMD$25,000 DIGICEL Tablet with JMD$3,000 worth of credit.

Fraser-Pryce explained afterwards that the work is just beginning hence the fundraiser planned for next month.

“For the Pocket Rocket Foundation, we have a lot of visions that we are implementing currently from the Rocket Start Breakfast Programme that we rolled out last year, donating deep freezes and refrigerators to different schools, just to enhance school life,” she remarked.

“What we have coming up is the Pocket Rocket Foundation’s 10^th anniversary fundraising gala at the AC Hotel on November 4 when we are looking forward to all that we have been able to accomplish throughout the years as well as implementing a (public-relations) etiquette seminar for students.”

Among the foundation’s future plans is a strategy to prepare high school student-athletes for college by providing them with the tools they need to successfully make the transition thus enhancing the chances of success.

“I think one of the things that is also important for the foundation is college readiness,” said Fraser-Pryce, who has a degree in Child and Adolescent Development from the University of Technology.

“We have a lot of athletes that are here from different sports and a lot of them will need help in transitioning because it is not as easy as it seems. It definitely takes a while to transition and some of the things we want also want to be able to offer them is mental health support because for a lot of persons there are different ways that they cope and I want to assist as best as possible, helping them to cope. It’s not just about giving them cash and kind but it is to be readily available to cater to different needs that we don’t know of or money can’t buy.”

These are among the reasons why the five-time World 100m champion will be asking patrons of the gala to make the sacrifice and turn out for the occasion because every dollar raised will go towards building these student-athletes into productive citizens of Jamaica.

“How it works is that you just empty your bank account, give it us and we can continue to invest in student-athletes,” she said breaking out into laughter.

“The ticket costs USD$350 and also, as a company, you can be a sponsor of the gala and you can have a table for your company to have up to 10 persons to attend. We’ll have items for auction and raffle items,” she said.

“Sportsmax will also be there to live-stream the event so wherever you are in the world you will be able to participate. It will be a night of excellence.”

Hibbert presented a symbolic cheque of $780,000 to Kingston College’s Principal Dave Myrie, during an event at the school’s North Street base on Thursday, March 21.

The scholarships were disbursed to five students, valued at $156,000 each, and will cover their tuition fees, books and other expenses for a full academic year.

Among the scholarship recipients are Aaron McKenzie and Daquan Dawkins, both jumpers, who competed at the just-concluded ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, where Kingston College won its 35th title. The other scholarship recipients are second-form students Jehu Green, Joshua Lewin, and Ricadeen Wilkins.

Hibbert, the first Jamaican and the youngest ever to be awarded the highest US collegiate honour, The Bowerman, lauded Kingston College for instilling the value of giving back.

“The act of giving back was instilled in me during my time at Kingston College, so now, the Leaps and Bounds Foundation is committed to maximising the potential of the youth here, with the focus of providing scholarships annually,” Hibbert shared.

The 19-year-old, who went undefeated throughout the 2023 collegiate season, breaking decades-old records in the process, also imparted words of encouragement to the recipients.

“To all recipients, I encourage you to stay focused, stay humble and stay thankful. I believe in your future and your personal growth here at this great institution,” he said.
Meanwhile, Myrie applauded Hibbert for making the scholarships available to students beyond the athletic community.

"While some may choose to support the athletic community only, he has extended his scholarships to other students, and for that, I must commend Jaydon. During his time at Kingston College, he excelled academically, achieving distinctions in various subjects, including French. We take pride in his achievements,” Myrie noted.

Hibbert, who is currently under professional contract with Puma, also used the opportunity to thank the apparel brand for investing in his talent.
“I want to thank Puma for investing in me and my foundation and I hope to do this annually with their continued support,” Hibbert ended.

They are national badminton representative Tahlia Richardson, representing the Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA); national chess player Akeem Brown, representing the Jamaica Chess Federation (JCF); national rugby player Shanae Gordon, representing the Jamaica Rugby Football Union (JRFU); and national hockey player, Kareme Hudson, representing the Jamaica Hockey Federation (JHF).

Recently, the JOA had announced plans for its initial Scholarship Programme, which fits into their holistic development of member affiliates and specifically, education in this instance.

Ryan Foster, Secretary General/CEO of the country’s apex sporting body and the one who formulated the educational award, said this serves as one of their legacy objective and advancement of the ‘educational perspective’.

"The JOA is pleased to have awarded these scholarships to the recipients representing a wide cross-section of member associations, but also takes into consideration the importance of neutrality in gender. These scholarships are first of its kind and is totally separate from our Olympic Solidarity scholarships offered,” stated Foster.

“We want to leave a legacy for our members and something that advances our educational perspective. We believe in the future of our athletes and we want to focus on objectives that are not just event-specific or aligned to a game, but one in which will have a far-reaching impact on the lives of our athletes and administrators."

Novelette Harris, the JOA’s Member Relations Manager, said the applications were competitive.

“I am pleased that we are able to assist these student-athletes through the JOA Scholarship/Bursary. Selecting the awardees was challenging for the panel as all the candidates interviewed did very well.  In the final analysis, we could select only four, but we are proud of all those with whom we spoke,” said Harris.

“We will be working closely with the recipients as they pursue their course of study, monitoring and providing guidance where necessary. Part of this process includes the opportunity for them to participate in our internship program and so we look forward to their continued contribution to sports development and sustainability,” added Harris.

Value of the scholarships is $500,000 per annum, for three years in some instances, tenable at local tertiary institutions.

“I'm quite elated being given this platform to further inspire persons and bring them to the sport of badminton while being able to complete my studies,” said Richardson, who will be pursuing a BSc. in Human Resource Management at the University of Technology (UTech).

“Now there is an organisation (JOA) that will help myself and others achieve their Olympic dream while being able to complete my degree. I am honoured being among the chosen for this scholarship,” Richardson expressed.

Brown will be undertaking studies for a BSc. in Business Administration, also at UTech.

The chess guru said: “Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me. It has taken the pressure off a significant portion of my educational expense, allowing me to focus on my career in business management; and continue to excel in my extra-curricular activities.

“I am truly appreciative of this scholarship and I’m looking forward to the upcoming semester and opportunities it will bring. Once again, I would like to thank you for your generosity and personal investment in my future,” Brown expressed.

Gordon has been granted a bursary of $500,000 to complete third-year studies of her BSc. in Physical Education and Sports programme at G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport.

“As the first recipient of a sporting grant from the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) through the Jamaica Rugby Football Union, I am sincerely honoured to have been selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Jamaica Olympic Association grant. I just want to say thank you for your generosity, which will allow me to continue my education and move forward with pursuing my degree in Physical Education and Sport,” Gordon shared.

“Words can’t express how grateful I am for this scholarship. I am not only able to gain exposure in the working world as an intern for the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), but I am also able to continue representing the Jamaica Rugby Football Union,” reasoned Gordon. “With this scholarship, I am able to pursue my short and long-term goal by giving back to the sporting area either in coaching, refereeing, journalism, sports editor, volunteering or mentorship.”

Hudson is pursuing a BSc. in Communication, Arts and Technology at UTech. She has been awarded a scholarship of up to $500,000 per year to complete the final two years of her study.

“I would like to extend my heartiest appreciation to the Jamaica Olympic Association’s scholarship committee for giving me a chance at a better life because that is what being selected as this year’s scholarship recipient means to me,” said Hudson.

“I am the eldest of four from a low-income family from the area Kingston 12. I have grown up to see that nothing is permanent and people or things can easily be taken away from you, but what I have understood and believed is that your education is something that cannot be taken away; it’s yours and it has the utmost power to change lives and impact lives,” she added.

“I am always eager to learn, always wanting to be in school. It has always been a place of safety and solitude for me for my entire life; when other kids dreaded coming to school, I thought ‘this is the best environment for me because I was learning and I was among friends who ultimately became family’. I would like to thank the St. Andrew High School for girls for providing me with that foundation,” Hudson explained.

Commenting further, the national hockey player shared: “To be selected to further my education in a time such as this where a lot of people are hopeless, I find that this is my way of finding my purpose in life. This is my meal ticket in itself to be the first in my family to graduate from university and one of the very few in my community to do so as well.  With my degree and this platform, the Jamaica Olympic Association has given me I am able to make a real change in my life, my family and my community.

“This is also my chance to uplift my sport and give young hockey players aspiring to represent Jamaica the hope and drive to go for their dreams and to train hard to represent themselves and the country; because they have an organisation that is not only looking out for them in athletics but academically as well,” Hudson said.

Williams, who moved to Jamaica to train last year, is already dedicated to giving back to the community.

Following a Christmas treat that the 20-year-old Olympic champion staged for children in Montego Bay environs last December, Williams will now provide $70,000 each in scholarships to Shakira Rhoden, Shelly-Ann Taylor and Janelia Williams.

Rhoden and Taylor are members of Excelsior’s reigning Anthrick Corporate Area Development Meet 4x100m relay team.

Kayla Harris, who was also a member of that team, awarded her scholarship to teammate Janelia Williams.

Janelia Williams is an ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships (Champs) silver medalist in the 200m.

 The athletes came to Williams’ attention when she read a published interview following the team’s victory at the Anthrick Development Meet in 2022.

In it, they indicated that the multiple Carifta Games gold medalist was a role model.

 When Williams read the article, as well as saw an Instagram post with the athletes, she was thrilled,

“I was so honoured when I read the article in the newspaper stating that I inspire these girls. I wanted to meet them, but leave more than inspirational words. I wanted to support their academic journey,” Briana said.

The scholarship was made possible through Briana’s sponsor GraceKennedy Limited and will be disbursed to the school to cover the cost of books, tuition and other necessities for the 2023 academic year.

 The Briana Williams scholarship will now be an annual offer to aid student-athletes in their academic and sporting pursuits.

"I am committed to giving back to athletes in Jamaica because I know what it's like. It's not easy being a student-athlete.” She shared.

"My sponsor GraceKennedy and I will make this an annual scholarship to deserving student athletes who showcase their athletic talents and are also having good grades."

She encouraged over 100 members of the Excelsior High track team who were present at the ceremony to remain committed to the sport.

"We are committed to helping the next generation in this sport and I want to encourage you to work hard and don't let anybody quell your dreams,” she said.

"Put in the work, listen to your teachers, your coaches and rewrite your goals and recite them every day and don't give up.”

 In 2020, Williams provided 25 tablets to student-athletes forced to attend classes from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also donated furniture and school supplies to educator Stacey-Ann Donaldson who has a reading and homework centre in Rose Gardens, Kingston.

Williams ran the first leg of Jamaica’s gold-medal winning 4x100m effort at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). She also won silver as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.