Shavon George takes advantage of government scholarship.

By Jamall Adams

THE Government of Guyana has been upholding its promise to the Guyanese citizens as regards making education its number one priority. We’ve seen this over the last two years, through initiatives such as sport activities, charity, infrastructure, and academic development through the implementation of newer technologies in schools, texts books made available, and their scholarship programmes.

These programmes are being offered throughout Guyana, even to remote areas that may not have had access to such aid and take the form of scholarships offered by both Government and the private sector; thus enabling a more equipped generation of Guyanese scholars.

Shavon George of Fair View Village, Kurupukari , Region Nine, is currently pursuing her dreams while making the most out of her scholarship, made possible through the Government of Guyana.

Shavon grew up with her mom and five other siblings. As a child, she was faced with many adversities, coming from a single-parent home where her mother worked full-time as a health officer. Even though the odds were sometimes against Shavon, she never lost focus from her school work and she would always try to make the best of whatever resources she had, with the aim of taking home good grades to her mom. This dedication and discipline allowed Shavon to acquire St Ignatius Secondary School after she wrote the Grade Six Assessment.

“As a child growing up, I always wanted to work in the public sector; to give back to my community. But because of the limited amount of resources I had after completing secondary school, that dream was placed on hold,” Shavon said. She added that her mother would still encourage her to put the Lord in front of everything, even when the road gets rough, and that’s exactly what she did, while she continued to dream.

Even though Shavon’s dreams were at a standstill, she didn’t allow that to discourage her aspirations of becoming a positive contributor to her community. She spent the next few weeks looking for alternatives to live out her dreams and was advised to apply to become a voluntary teacher. A few weeks went by and Shavon got the acceptance notice from Fairview Primary School, to become a voluntary teacher and she immediately took advantage of the opportunity.

“I was so excited when I was accepted to become a voluntary teacher at Fairview Primary School because I would now be able to give back to my community,” Shavon explained. She added that even though she wasn’t making any money, she was satisfied with the opportunity, since she was giving back to her community.

Shavon would spend the next few months teaching and encouraging students to become a positive reflection of their community. While on this journey, Shavon was provided with information on how to apply for a scholarship by Iwokrama’s Director of Resource Management and Training, Dr. Raquel Thomas.

After submitting the request, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, made a recommendation for her to be the recipient of a full scholarship, to the University of Guyana. This opportunity would make Shavon the first person from her community to ever receive a scholarship of any kind.

“After finding out about the scholarship, I was very proud of myself. I was proud because I knew that it would be a great opportunity for me to make my mother proud, and also for me to be able to give back to my community,” Shavon said. She noted that this is a big relief for her mother because they are also sponsoring her accommodation and other personal fees. Shavon went on to say that she is the first person in her family to complete a secondary level education and is the first to ever attend University, so this is a major accomplishment for her entire family.

Shavon started her full scholarship at the University of Guyana on August 28, and is currently living at the Liliendall UG dorms. She is pursuing a Diploma in Public Management, with hopes of one day starting a `Help and Shelter’ organisation for the needy and rape victims within her community. This organisation will also be a major contributor to the development of young people from other neighbouring communities. Shavon expressed how grateful she is to the Government of Guyana for the opportunity.

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