Four students who are family members of subsidiary staff at Polaris Holding Company have received a share of a $10,000 education award from the company.
Cheryl Hayward-Chew, chairman, presented equal shares of the award to the students who are heading to university this month.
The annual Polaris Holding Company Education Award was set up to assist student dependants of Stevedoring Services employees with funds for their tertiary level education.
However in March, Polaris acquired East End Asphalt Company Limited and the children of employees from the paving company also became eligible for the education award. This year the fund was shared equally between Tahj Cox, Zed Scott, Etteleon Burchall and Donnalyn Smith.
Ms Hayward-Chew said: “With East End Asphalt joining Stevedoring Services Limited and the Polaris family, we are delighted to be able to include them in the pool of education awards for the first time this year.”
Recipient Ms Smith is the daughter of Lyndon Smith, a 25-year employee of East End Asphalt. She received $2,500 towards her studies.
She is a first-year student in the nursing programme at the University of the West of England, in Bristol.
She has helped as a volunteer at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital when she was 14, which she said stoked her passion for nursing. She added: “I loved it and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
Her father Lyndon Smith shared his appreciation for the cash infusion. He said: “The Polaris Education Award really helps us out. The funds will get us through some sticky wickets.”
Meanwhile, Mr Scott, who is a multiyear recipient of the annual PHCEA, is the son of stevedore, Otis Minors. He enters his final year studying kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington.