What Getting A UWI STA Scholarship & Bursary Means To Me – UWI Game Changers

Game Changers

#SCHOLARSHIPS #BURSARIES
What Getting A UWI STA Scholarship
& Bursary Means To Me

Before we introduce Sherrifa, Neuraz and Shaienne, we want to answer we know is on your mind, “What’s the difference between a scholarship and a bursary?”

Kristy Mannette-Smith, Manager in Financial Advisory Services, explains that “the term scholarship and bursary are sometimes used interchangeably, since the same criteria may pertain for one as the other.

But in the traditional sense, a scholarship is usually based on academic merit – where a student can hold a scholarship for a protracted period of time, for example, three years which is the tenure of their degree.

A bursary is a one-time award given for one academic year. These are given based on academic or financial need, and you would need to reapply again for another opportunity to obtain that bursary.”

Kristy Mannette-Smith
Manager, Financial Advisory Services, Division of Student Services and Development

Ok, now that we cleared that up,
let’s meet our scholarship and/or bursary recipients!

It was always my biggest dream, desire, and passion to become a teacher. Through many challenges, I have chosen to “never give up” and push every obstacle out of my way to reach my Bachelor of Education degree. Receiving a financial award from The UWI St. Augustine Campus was the key to helping me pave my path to achieving greatness in academics. I also became involved with the Guild Council of Students and currently serve as Student Activity Committee Chairperson. I love that UWI, and the Guild allowed me to foster growth within myself. I believe anyone can be a UWI Game Changer if you do not let anything define you; you work hard, and grab opportunities to make your dreams a reality.

I balanced living on my own for the first time, tuition costs and other expenses because my lecturer, Dr. Jeffrey Smith, informed me about scholarships and bursaries and encouraged me to apply. The people working in the Scholarships & Bursaries section were very kind every time I contacted them, and the website was easy to use, so I applied pretty swiftly. The bursaries I received helped me tremendously. I was able to get new devices to help me keep up with school when it was fully remote during the pandemic and use my funds to pay for membership to IChemE (the international Institution of Chemical Engineers). Even though I spent most of my time at UWI away from Campus, I had some of the best experiences of my university life in the first few months I spent there in 2019. I remember watching Movie Night under the stars, going to spin classes every Wednesday in SPEC, and bonding at the Chem. Eng. Halloween Mixer—it was amazing! My advice would be to explore everything UWI STA has to offer and soak up as much as you can.

I think I'm a UWI game changer because I'm the first person in my family to attend university. I hope that one day, my younger siblings will follow in my footsteps.

At the beginning of my first year, I applied for scholarships and bursaries and was at first sad when I was not a recipient. However, I decided to take the risk to re-apply and was given an award!

The scholarship helped me in several ways: to pay my tuition, pay for my doctor’s appointments, and purchase my school materials and other necessities. Having this scholarship meant that my mother carried less of my financial burden. I was grateful for this because I have seen her go to lengths to sacrifice for my betterment. Furthermore, the scholarship allowed me to focus on my academics and attain balance and flexibility. So much so that I became the Faculty of Humanities and Education Guild Representative. Because of my scholarship experience, I worked with my committee to launch the Faculty of Humanities and Education Guild Committee Grant 2021/2022.

In my opinion, a UWI Game Changer is an all-around student who places the University on the map through outstanding contributions, including academics and extracurricular activities. They actively seek to empower themselves and uplift others, thus leaving their mark, fostering friendship, growth, unity, and university pride.

The University of the West Indies St. Augustine (UWI),
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Tel: (868) 662-2002
Fax: (868) 663-9684
E: admis@sta.uwi.edu

This page highlights The UWI St. Augustine Game Changers campaign and showcases our 8 Faculties and over 200 programmes available to Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Continuing Students.

The UWI, St. Augustine ranks first in Trinidad and Tobago among accredited tertiary-level programmes, and The UWI ranks as one of the top Latin American and Caribbean universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.

Copyright 2021