UTech student thankful for architecture scholarship

Portland native Shimeika Brown got a major boost in her quest to complete her studies in architecture after she was granted the Dr Patricia E. Green 40th Anniversary Caribbean School of Architecture scholarship.

“This scholarship means so much to me and my mother and my family,” said Brown at the scholarship ceremony held on the grounds of the Faculty of The Built Environment, UTech, Jamaica, on October 30. The scholarship is valued at $400,000.

“Once I finish, which I will, I will be the first in my family to graduate college,” the final-year student said.

The scholarship was established to mark the 40th anniversary of Green’s achievement of her professional degree in architecture, which she obtained in 1979 at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, United Kingdom.

Green said that she was led to make the donation, having received a scholarship to complete her own studies, and being aware of the hardship faced by many students.

She said that she made the donation specifically to a female student to provide encouragement in what many consider to be a male-dominated field.

“Nowadays it’s not that bad because people are hired based on talent,” she explained, adding that she hoped that this would provide an opportunity for continued generosity. “I am blessed and therefore I bless ... I’m hoping that whomever I bless will also bless others, and that the cycle of blessing and returning and giving back will continue.”