Grants to greatness - JPS Foundation powers UTech students with scholarships

Twenty-five-year-old Ackeem Grant, a civil engineering student at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), felt a tremendous weight lift from his shoulders after receiving a scholarship from East-West Power (EWP) Korea through the JPS Foundation.

"Without this scholarship, I would have had to work to pay my tuition, which has increased yearly. My mother is the only one supporting me, and she has three of us," Grant said.

Grant added that he had applied for several scholarships elsewhere but was unsuccessful.

"Earning this scholarship takes a huge burden off of her, and it means a lot, so I am very grateful to EWP for this opportunity," he said.

Grant joined fellow UTech scholars Geri-Ann Miller, Gabrielle Beepat, Allroy Horne, Jordon Jackson, and Le-Rhone Miller as recipients of the JPS Foundation Power Up EWP STEM scholarship valued at $3 million. The group was celebrated at a luncheon hosted by JPS, where Miller, a chemical engineering student, shared that the scholarship had also eased financial pressures on her family.

"My parents are educators and I also have a younger brother starting high school now, so this grant will definitely alleviate some of the financial burden for this final year," she shared.

Miller disclosed that she decided to pursue engineering in her later years of secondary school, after initially considering becoming an ophthalmologist.

"It was in sixth form, and I was looking at where the world was going and I knew STEM was a major part of that. My dad, who is a health educator officer, was always advocating for STEM," the 22-year-old said.

JPS Foundation officer and EWP representative in Jamaica, Yun Suk Choi, praised the students for their aspirations, saying, "I read all the essays that were submitted for the scholarship. I was impressed that all of you were most interested in Jamaica's energy policy."

"I believe that engineers can change the world through their actions," he added.

Similarly, Hugh Grant, JPS president and CEO, said the world is looking to engineers to solve many problems.

"The energy industry is in transition, and we are looking to unlock a cleaner future. Your skill set is in high demand," Grant told the chemical, electrical and civil engineering students. "We will need great minds like you to unlock the future of energy," added Grant, who is a graduate of UTech.