Seventeen Jamaicans awarded 2021-2022 Chevening Scholarships

This year, 17 Jamaicans have been awarded Chevening Scholarships to pursue master’s degrees in the United Kingdom.

The 2021-2022 scholars were selected by the British High Commission in Kingston from an extremely strong shortlisted cohort of 50, who were chosen from a wider candidate pool of more than 560.

Chevening is the UK government’s international awards programme aimed at developing global leaders.

It offers a unique opportunity for future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers from all over the world to develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.

This year’s batch of scholars will increase the Jamaican alumni to over 270 since 1984, many of whom are trailblazers across Jamaican society.

In reacting to confirmation of this year’s cohort, High Commissioner Asif Ahmad noted that the UK, through its world-class universities, remains committed to developing young global leaders despite the economic fallout from COVID-19.

“Considering all that is still happening with the global pandemic, this year’s selection of 17 brilliantly talented Jamaicans further reinforces the UK’s unwavering commitment to developing local expertise and driving Jamaica forward,” said Ahmad, who has seen off over 70 Jamaican scholars in his four-year term as head of mission.

“Chevening has been a clear favourite in my annual calendar as a head of mission for the past decade,” added Ahmad, who has previously served as ambassador to Thailand and the Philippines.

“Witnessing the significant transformation the scholars undergo from selection to send-off then eventual return, which more often than not translates to a great contribution to their homeland, is an awesome feeling for a civil servant. Jamaica has been a fine example in this regard, with the Chevening cohort boasting government ministers, civil society, and private-sector leaders.”

Deputy High Commissioner Daniel Shepherd noted the diversity of this year’s awardees while also encouraging other qualified Jamaicans to apply.

“This year, for example, we have a candidate reading for an MSc in Artificial Intelligence, the first in this area of study since Chevening launched in Jamaica in 1984. Fresh off the back of Jamaica’s Olympic success, we also have a scholar reading for a Master’s in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health, showing that Chevening caters for ‘non-traditional’ future leaders, too. I hope that ambitious Jamaicans will be inspired to follow in their footsteps and apply for the 2022-23 scheme by November 2,” said Shepherd.

This year’s scholars are: Keniel Peart; Jhénelle Williams; Dane Anderson; Debra Callender; Norman Tai; Shenaé Jonas; Chad Morgan; Tanisha Weir-Grant; Andre Bruff; Rosheika Grant; Adrian Watson; Alecia Hamilton-Campbell; Offniel Lamont; Evoné Walters; Peta-Gaye Rookwood; Stephen Francis; and Stephanie Edwards.

MEET THE SCHOLARS

KENIEL PEART

MSc in Artificial Intelligence

University of Southampton

Keniel Peart is a software developer and scrum master at the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Ltd. As lead developer, he was instrumental in revolutionising the bank’s credit journey for Jamaica’s first online mortgage portal and a centralised application portal, allowing customers to apply remotely for credit facilities. He is furthering this achievement as a scrum master, supporting a cross-functional software development team to reimagine lending to support the bank’s strategic objective of becoming a world-class financial ecosystem.

Outside of work, Keniel volunteers with the Royal Optimist Club of Kingston, tutors high school students at his church, and tutors computer science courses at the University of the West Indies. He is also a fashion and portrait photographer and a model. Keniel will pursue a Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Southampton. With his passion for AI and his interest in medicine, he intends to find ways in which AI-powered tools and software can aid Jamaican medical practitioners in diagnosing and treating illnesses.

JHÉNELLE WILLIAMS

MSc in Climate Change

University College London

Jhénelle Williams is an early career scientist in the Nuclear Analytical Laboratory at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences. From an ocean engineering background, Jhénelle has transitioned from renewable energy technology to applying nuclear techniques to study the environment. She is an international member of the Explorers Club, PADI-certified rescue diver, and a member of Women in Nuclear Global. With the effects of climate change already apparent, Jhénelle intends to conduct interdisciplinary research using nuclear techniques to address some of Jamaica’s most challenging environmental problems, with a strong focus on climate change and the impact of contaminants in the environment. To enable her, Jhénelle will be pursuing a Master of Science in Climate Change at the University College London. She is passionate about producing cogent research to support Jamaica’s climate goals and help decision-makers develop adequate response strategies.

DANE ANDERSON

MSc in Sustainable Electrical Power

Brunel University London

Dane Anderson is the senior reliability engineer at Petrojam, Ltd. specialising in industrial electrical and automation systems. He has used engineering design and project management to lead a range of multiyear and multimillion-dollar projects. Dane is also a certified energy manager and project management professional with 13 years of experience in maintenance management. Dane is committed to carefully modernising Jamaica’s electrical power networks, quickening innovations in industry and infrastructure for clean and affordable electrical energy. He will be pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainable Electrical Power at Brunel University London to bolster this commitment further. This training will aid in providing engineering skill sets lacking in Jamaica. In his spare time, Dane participates in local community initiatives and international partnerships related to education. He has served at many regional levels in Rotary International. Outside of Rotary-related activities, Dane is also dedicated to volunteering with remedial educational organisations to provide group and one-on-one tutoring for youth and adults within his community.

DEBRA CALLENDER

MSc in Dementia Studies

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Debra Callender is a community-based physiotherapist. She has over 20 years of experience in the private and public sectors, spanning all areas within the scope of practice, with emphasis on adult neurological physiotherapy, spine and cardiopulmonary physiotherapy. She is a former physiotherapy representative to the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine – the regulatory body for the profession in Jamaica. Debra will pursue a Master of Science in Dementia Studies at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. She intends to empower caregivers and sufferers with the disease as well as deploy strategies to delay progression and decline in the newly diagnosed in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

NORMAN TAI

MSc in Transport Planning and Engineering

University of Leeds

Norman Tai is a transportation planning engineer at the National Works Agency. His work involves the design of roadways, road infrastructure, and traffic facilities, as well as the analysis, management, and modelling of traffic flows. He also provides support for the research and development of standards and guidelines within the transport sector and similarly aligned industries. Norman is a registered professional engineer (civil) currently serving as the chairman of the Civil Engineering Division of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers. Norman will pursue a Master of Science (Engineering) in Transport Planning and Engineering at the University of Leeds. He hopes to contribute to the improvement of Jamaica’s development and economic outlook through focus on the delivery of transport-related policy pulled from global precedents, and on strategies for planned implementation of the design and management of safe, efficient, sustainable and inclusive transportation systems.

SHENAÉ JONAS

MA in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology

Swansea University

Shenaé Jonas is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, from which she holds a BSc in International Relations and Criminology. Following her work with the Ministry of Justice, she worked as an adjunct tutor at UWI, teaching Delinquency and Juvenile Justice. In 2018, she participated in island-wide research for the Inter-American Development Bank’s Correctional Services Inmate Study. She was a researcher at the Global Initiative Against Transnational and Organized Crime, where she was tasked with the composition of detailed reports surrounding the impact of organised crime in specific countries. As a member of the ECPR Standing Group on Organised Crime, she collaborated with RUSI’s The Informer to publish her blog on ‘Gangs and the Unattached Youth in Jamaica’ in March 2021. Shenaé is also an active volunteer, working with the Multi-Care Youth Foundation, where she mentors young men from inner-city communities. She will pursue a Master of Arts in Applied Criminal Justice and Criminology at Swansea University in Wales. She is interested in youth justice and offender rehabilitation, and her vision is to contribute to criminal justice policy and crime prevention strategies in Jamaica.

CHAD MORGAN

MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion

Brunel University London

Chad Morgan is a digital media and development communications specialist who has devoted the last eight years to improving and protecting the lives and dignity of youth and other marginalised Jamaicans, especially those living with and affected by HIV. In his most recent employ at Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Chad worked to develop tools, resources, and campaigns to address prevention, care, and treatment of persons at risk and living with HIV. Chad will pursue a Master of Science in Public Health and Health Promotion at Brunel University London. With his passion for youth and gender development, he intends to work at the intersectionality of the issues that most affect youth, adolescents, women, and girls. Chad is passionately ambitious about ideating and delivering innovative projects and programmes that improve access to HIV services in an effort to reduce HIV and to end AIDS as we know it.

TANISHA WEIR-GRANT

Master of Public Administration and Management

University College London

Tanisha Weir-Grant is the director of pension computation and analysis in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service. She oversees the administration and communication of the Government of Jamaica Pension Scheme in accordance with pension legislation and policy guidelines. She is passionate about the quality of service delivery to pensioners of Jamaica and believes strongly that Jamaica ought to be a place to retire in keeping with Vision 2030. Tanisha will pursue a Master of Public Administration and Management at University College of London. She aspires to contribute significantly to the transformation of Jamaica’s Pension Administration System and Policies.

ANDRE BRUFF

MA in Education and International Development

University College London

Andre Bruff is a 14-year educator who holds a Bachelor’s degree and a post-graduate diploma from the University of the West Indies. His expertise and leadership have been recognised and mobilised in a variety of important roles in the education sector in the Caribbean. At the regional level, the Caribbean Examinations Council recruited him as a Spanish oral examiner and ultimately a Spanish oral examiner trainer. Nationally, he was enlisted as a national standards curriculum trainer and a Spanish textbook reviewer for the Ministry of Education. Andre was awarded ‘Teacher of Excellence’ in 2014 by the Ministry of Education and the Jamaica Teaching Council. On his own initiative, he has written four and published two educational texts to contribute to the development of Spanish education in the Caribbean. He will pursue the Master of Arts in Education and International Development at University College London.

ROSHEIKA GRANT

MSc in Sports Management, Politics and International Development

Loughborough University

Rosheika Grant is a public relations executive at the Jamaica Information Service. She is also the producer of the Caribbean’s premiere sports-related podcast ‘The Drive Phase Podcast’ and the executive producer of the Caribbean’s first track and field podcast, ‘The Track and Field Exchange’. In 2020, she was the project coordinator for a series of webinars highlighting the issue of safe sport and its role in facilitating sport as an effective social-inclusion tool. She also conceptualised and coordinated a virtual forum, ‘Women’s Health and Athletic Performance’, which was the first of its kind in the Caribbean, to raise awareness of the issue of ‘Female Athletes & the Menstrual Cycle’. Rosheika will pursue a Master of Science in Sport Management, Politics and International Development at Loughborough University. She aspires to contribute to Jamaica capitalising on the potential of the sporting industry to increase its contribution to the economic growth of that country by focusing on safe sport, gender-sensitive management, and sports marketing.

ADRIAN WATSON

MSc in Conservation and Land Management

Bangor University

Adrian Watson has a BSc. in Geography and Zoology from The University of the West Indies. He has been working in the area of natural resources management focusing on biodiversity and climate change for the last 10 years. Adrian is the CEO of Honai Beez Apiary, which is a small-scale social enterprise start-up focused on sustainable beekeeping to combat climate change. He is also the executive director for a small think tank social enterprise consortium called Jamaica Environment Entrepreneurs’ Advocacy Network, which seeks to aid social enterprises whose aims are to advance climate-smart and nature-based solutions for the goals of biodiversity protection and ecosystems management. Adrian will pursue a Master of Science in Conservation and Land Management at Bangor University in Wales. He aspires to transform the Jamaica environmental and conservation sector.

DR ALECIA HAMILTON-CAMPBELL

MSc in Clinical Dermatology

Kings College London

Dr Alecia Hamilton-Campbell is a proud graduate of The University of the West Indies currently employed to the South East Regional Health Authority where she serves in the capacity of a physician in dermatology at the National Chest, Kingston Public, and the Bustamante Children’s hospitals. There, she sees patients with various genetic, malignant, immunological, and infectious skin pathologies such as blistering disorders, and STIs. She will be pursuing the Master of Science in Clinical Dermatology at The King’s College London. Upon completion, she intends to collaborate with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to modernise and improve access to dermatological care, education, and research.

OFFNIEL LAMONT

MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health

University College London

Offniel Lamont is the sole physiotherapist at the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport. He manages the Physiotherapy Unit, developing, implementing, and expanding physiotherapy services within the college. He is the chairperson of the Standards and Ethics Committee for the Jamaica Physiotherapy Association (JPA) and was appointed to the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine in 2019. Offniel is also part of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, the only non-communicable disease (NCD) alliance in the Caribbean serving as a Healthy Caribbean Youth. In 2021, he was appointed by the JPA to represent the association on the board of the Diabetic Association of Jamaica. In the upcoming academic year, Offniel will pursue a Master of Science in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health at University College London. He is interested in preventing and treating sports injuries and NCDs and aspires to contribute to the revolutionisation of Jamaica’s sports and healthcare system.

EVONÉ WALTERS

MA in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship

Goldsmiths, University of London

Evoné Walters is a dynamic theatre director, producer, and creative social entrepreneur who is passionate and heavily invested in building the creative industry in Jamaica. Evoné is the founder and managing director of Artribute Performing Arts, a company formed in 2018, focusing mainly on using drama as a medium of learning for school students and training sessions for adults as well using drama for behavioural change for youths. Invested in supporting the development of theatre practitioners, Evoné became one of the founders and organisers of the Jamaica Theatre Association in 2021. In 2020, Evoné came first in the Young Entrepreneurs Association. She was third in the Kingston Creative/JAMPRO Pitch Your Best Dream Competition, and she was one of the ten winners in the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs’ competition by the US Embassy and a winner in the Democratizing Innovation in the Americas Lab Jamaica Virtual Ideathon.

Evoné Walters will be pursuing a Master of Arts in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths, University of London.

PETA-GAYE ROOKWOOD

MSc in Crisis and Disaster Management

Aston University

Peta-Gaye Rookwood is a legal officer at the National Environment and Planning Agency, where she spearheads key legislation and policy relating to topical areas such as environmental impact assessments and watersheds. She is a 2018 Beahrs Environmental Leadership Fellow, where she was selected as the first Jamaican to address the Chancellor’s Reception on issues of sustainability facing Small Island Developing States. In 2019, she participated in the Nudge Global Impact Challenge in Amsterdam where she advocated for increased environmental education for children with special needs. Peta-Gaye will be pursuing a Master of Science in Crisis and Disaster Management at Aston University as she believes that effective disaster risk management is instrumental in Jamaica’s efforts towards sustainable development. Consequently, she aspires to contribute to Vision 2030 by developing and implementing coherent policies and mechanisms in areas such as climate change, food security, and environmental management, all of which have a significant impact on the disaster risk reduction agenda.

STEPHEN FRANCIS

MSc in Education (Leadership and Policy)

University of Bristol

Stephen Francis is a former chemistry educator at the Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha) and an assistant lecturer at the University of Technology. He advocates for social change on a variety of issues affecting youth with the local advocacy movement Talk Up Yout, where he also is a radio talk-show host. He also holds several advanced leadership and communication designations with Toastmasters International. Stephen will pursue a Master of Science in Education (Leadership and Policy) at the University of Bristol in England. He aspires to contribute to making Jamaica’s education system more accessible through shaping educational policy.

STEPHANIE EDWARDS

LLM in International Commercial and Business law

University of East Anglia

Stephanie Edwards is a graduate of the Norman Manley Law School. She is an attorney-at-law employed to the Government of Jamaica at the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce as a legal officer, where she currently undertakes duties mostly connected to business, commercia,l and company law transactions. Stephanie is very business oriented and is passionate about making a meaningful contribution towards the growth and expansion of Jamaica’s business environment in order to increase economic growth and development. She believes that reforming and the effective implementation of laws and policies have the potential to stimulate growth of the manufacturing and business sectors in Jamaica. Stephanie will pursue a Master of Laws in International Commercial and Business Law at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. She describes herself as a motivational and results-oriented leader who does not shy away from new opportunities. She believes that if you have discipline, drive and determination, nothing is impossible!