Two Belizean Students off to Jamaica on Athletic Scholarships

Two Belizean youths are off to Jamaica to further their education after receiving athletic scholarships for track and field. They are fifteen-year-old Norman Sutherland and fourteen-year-old Jadeen Williams, who will both be attending Saint Elizabeth Technical High School in Santa Cruz, Jamaica. We spoke with Cojac Smith and Gregory Meyers, who facilitated the application of the athletes.

 

Gregory Meyers, Scholarship Facilitator

“Mister Smith and I have been working diligently about getting these scholarships for these young men. We started this process collaborating with some coaches and the different principals, Weil and CARIFTA. In Grenada in Easter of this year that conversation developed into where we brought three four coaches from Jamaica here to give a clinic. During that clinic, they were able to meet some of these young athletes. One of them had competed at CARIFTA, Jadeen Williams. And through our collaboration and communication and the things that we’ve done to this point, we were able to secure these scholarships for these young men. And that’s in conjunction with the hold ups with Jamaica. Jamaica had a few changes in their rules, which we had more scholarships, but those scholarships were rescinded because of the change in the rules. Fortunately, through our diligent hard work with and collaboration with these coaches and principals we were able to secure at least two scholarships for these young men”

 

Britney Gordon

“And what exactly does the scholarship entail? Where will they be studying and what will they receive?”

 

Gregory Meyers

“Okay, the scholarship is for their tuition and for their books  We are working hard to  Secure the funding for their room and board  Which we’ve reached out and we’ve had a lot of  generous benefactors to help us to this point. They will be studying at St. Elizabeth’s Tech with and training under coach Neil Harrison who was here in Belize in June. And they should be leaving within the next week, within the next seven days.”

 

Cojac Smith, Scholarship Facilitator

“It’s a great step in the right direction in development for these young athletes. One of the things that we’ve been short going forward as a country is the development of our talent. So recognizing that these youths from a young age and seeing that the talent that they have and being able to capitalize on that and giving them the opportunity to go on further their education allows, as well as working with these excellent coaches in Jamaica will bring a sort of notoriety as well as give other students Kids the inspiration to work hard and train as well as you have to remember that these are student athletes, so their grades are exceptional as well. So it’s a great opportunity and we really want to promote this level of positivity within athletics.”