Three win scholarships from Courts
From left, first row: former awardee Jamain Hutton with awardees Tyra Bakker, Mahin Sugrim and Olivia Parris-Bowen with Courts board members Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan (Photo by Samuel Maughn)
From left, first row: former awardee Jamain Hutton with awardees Tyra Bakker, Mahin Sugrim and Olivia Parris-Bowen with Courts board members Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

By Crystal Stoll

FURNITURE giant Courts Guyana Incorporated on Wednesday awarded full scholarships to three University of Guyana (UG) students through its annual Scholarship Programme.
The awardees are final-year Environmental Science student Olivia Parris- Bowen, first-year Computer Science student Mahin Sugrim and third-year law student Tyra Bakker.
Courts Customer Experience Manager Shonelle Bacchus said the three students were selected on basis of criteria outlined by Courts.
“You would have to have been a shopper, either the customer or the child of the customer. The account should be in good standing, meaning no bad debts attached to it; you had to have the GPA [Grade Point Average]; they [students] must demonstrate their financial need,” Bowen told the Guyana Chronicle, pointing out that there was a verification process to ensure that the awardees really need the scholarship.
“After we shortlisted for the interviews, we asked persons to come in with their payslips and other personal documents, so we could assess whether they needed the scholarships or not,” she explained.
The awardees were elated at the good gesture by the furniture giant.
“I am very elated because honestly, I didn’t think I would win. I am very happy about that; this will take a weight off me and I will definitely get to focus more on my studies and other aspects,” said Bakker.
And according to Bowen, “It is a relief quite honestly, especially since the Loan Agency now came out with new stipulations for you to actually be granted the loan; it is always a back-and-forth situation and it is usually very time-consuming, so you’re always in a rush to finish that… so it is a relief and I’m very appreciative for it.”
Sugrim also could not be happier.
“Having a scholarship, this releases the financial grip that all of us face when it’s time to pay tuition fees, and such being granted this opportunity from Courts eases the financial burdens from my parents as well, and I can focus more on my studies.”
UG students, Akilla Whitney, Jamain Hatton and Ron Ghanie have also benefited from the full one-year scholarship programme which started last year.
Each year new students will be able to apply for the scholarships in addition to those already in the programme, once they upkeep a GPA of 3.0.
Courts for many years has been actively involved in several education programmes, including the Courts annual Reading is Fun Programme at UG and more recently, its backpack and stationery distribution in various low-income communities.

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