63 Students Awarded Pathlight Scholarships

Sixty-three Belizean students are embarking on their path to success with the help of the Pathlight scholarship. This morning, those students gathered at the U.W.I campus where they received their certificate to commemorate the achievement. This year’s recipients hail from various parts of the country, including Belize, Orange Walk, and Cayo districts. The scholarship will provide students with all the materials necessary to complete their studies, as well as the guidance to encourage them along the way. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the award ceremony this morning to meet the happy scholars. Here’s that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Twelve-year-old ZImani Usher wants to be an astronaut and twelve-year-old Eriston Usher wants to be an attorney. These children are just two of sixty-three students who are one step closer to achieving their dreams. They are the recipients of the Pathlight Scholarships. Luwani Cayetano, C.E.O. of Pathlight, shares her pride and excitement for the graduating scholars.

 

Luwani Cayetano, C.E.O., Pathlight

“They’re looking smart. They’re extremely smart. They’re funny. They’re exciting. We have students who are coming into high school and then we have students who recently graduated who will also be remaining with us doing their associates degree. Bachelor’s degree. So it’s a mixture of students. And it’s just wonderful. It’s wonderful that we get to serve them. It’s wonderful that they get to be a part of transforming our nation. And for us at Pathlight, what we want is more Belizeans to get involved with us.”

 

Sixteen-year-old-Destiny Requena is not only a second-time Pathlight recipient, but also the valedictorian for the Class of 2024 at Edward P. York High School. Her journey with Pathlight has been enjoyable.

 

Destiny Requena, Scholarship Recipient

“My experience at Pathlight has been nothing but the best. I couldn’t ask for a better scholarship program to be enrolled in. It has been four beautiful years for me. I’ve developed myself all around because I’ve developed spiritually, I’ve developed academically, I’ve been able to meet new people, network with other people. I’ve been able to have multiple opportunities to go outside the country and build myself overall as a leader in Belize. So it has been a beautiful experience to me thanks to Path light.”

 

The Pathlight Scholarship assists students with tuition, uniforms, books and transportation. Erica Joseph, Sponsorship Plus Director at Pathlight, says that the scholarship is highly competitive, but the team carefully selects recipients based on performance and need.

 

Erica Joseph, Sponsorship Plus Director, Pathlight

“The process is a very stringent one the scholarship is a very competitive one. So we got over three hundred applications this year just for the start of high school. And out of that, we were only able to select forty-four. Our main criteria for selection looks at the student’s academic potential and their families having that high financial need in order for them to get and complete their high school journey. The application process for the continuing students is more internal because we want to continue on with students that are already in the Pathlight program and who have shown great motivation and their potential to succeed. To go further and to do more. And so we want to continue with them through that.”

 

Pathlight hopes that by opening the door for these students, they will be able to step into a world beyond what they ever thought possible to achieve. Christian Heckley, Executive Director of Pathlight International, tells us more about the goals of the organization.

 

Christian Hoeckley, Executive Director, Pathlight International.

“As is well known, education is one of the most important foundations for a country to continue its development. So we see this as an opportunity to support Not just these beautiful students and their families, but really the entire nation of Belize. We hope that we are educating the next generation of leaders in Belize. We’re certainly developing young men and women who will be fantastically productive citizens for Belize. It’s a beautiful thing for me to be a part of.”

 

For this year’s cohort of students, the journey with Pathlight has only just begun, but twelve-year-old, Priya Talreja is already excited and also encourages other students to shoot for the stars.

 

Priya Talreja, Scholarship Recipient

“Go for it.  Try to do your best, try your absolute best to try to get into this organization. It’s a great organization.  What they are giving in this scholarship. It is a great organization. The mentors and the workers and the faculty over there are super nice. I’ve been there before. They’re super nice. And yes, I would encourage you to try to join the Pathlight community and don’t ever doubt yourself.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.