ST. THOMAS -- Sponsored by First Bank VI, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) hosted its annual awards reception on July 21st, 2016, to honor its donors, volunteers, and scholarship and grant recipients. The event was held at the Prior-Jollek Courtyard at the Antilles School.
According to a release CFVI issued Wednesday, this year the Foundation awarded a total of $100,000 in academic scholarships to 58 students. Undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to attend schools such as the University of the Virgin Islands, American University and University of South Florida.
CFVI scholarships range from $500-$4,000. Scholarships such as the Isaac & Rebecca Paiewonsky Scholarship and the Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars Award will provide funding for students for up to four consecutive years.
“In addition to the preservation of our precious natural resources, the greatest gift we can offer to our youth is the ability to access and pursue their higher education. No more noble pursuit is there than ensuring that when one generation passes the torch to another that its light will be sustained for future generations to come," said Marie ThomasGriffith, the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee Chair. CFVI also awarded $40,000 in grants to 43 individuals.
Students throughout the territory were able to attend college preparatory programs, dance, music and marine-related camps this summer thanks to CFVI's generous donors, according to the release.
At the reception, the winners of the 2016 Laws of Life Essay contest were presented with monetary prizes. The Laws of Life Essay contest is an initiative of the John Templeton Foundation and was first introduced to the Virgin Islands in 2001 by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation. Laws of Life is a character education program to motivate students to think and write about their personal values. Students of the territory’s four public high schools are invited to participate. Essays are then reviewed by a panel of anonymous judges. Prizes were awarded based on the quality of the individual essays.
Students who were honored this year wrote essays which contained powerful themes including self-acceptance, forgiveness, learning from one’s mistakes, and treating others with respect. To date, the Gruber Foundation has invested approximately $450,000 in grants to provide student and teacher prizes and recognition, according to the release.
Applications for CFVI grants and scholarships were managed at cfvi.fluidreview.com. For more information about our offerings, visit our website at www.cfvi.net.
CFVI has awarded scholarships to Virgin Islands students since 1996. The Foundation is looking to get in touch with as many of CFVI past scholarship recipients as possible and asks that “Scholarship Alumni” contact the Foundation at 774-6031 or visit our website at www.cfvi.net to fill out the scholarship recipient questionnaire. Submit your questionnaire to [email protected].
Find list of all recipients and their awards below:
| Recipient | Scholarship/ Grant | Island |
| Kissa Williams | Alexander Farrelly Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Alexander Athanase | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Sh’Nae Cayla Carr | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Louisa Fredey | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Chanae Ottley | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Irvin Mason Jr. | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Ajayi Pickering-Haynes | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Chasen Richards | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Shaedaya Varlack | Anna Green Walsh Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Nirisha Commodore | Artrelle M. Wheatley | St. Thomas |
| Jovier Adams | CAHS Class of 1951 Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Jamal Adrien | CAHS Class of 1951 Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Briault Atemazem | CAHS Class of 1951 Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Nathan Meersman | Coral World Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Andrea R. Burgess | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Alex Cintron | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Karen Dascent | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Shaquanee Fenton | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Rudel Hodge Jr. | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Aliyah John | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Estelle E. Jules | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Hadiyah Shabazz | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Jeanna Sujanani | Heavy Materials Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Janelle Hodge (2013) | Isaac & Rebecca Paiewonsky Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Tori Huyghue (2014) | Isaac & Rebecca Paiewonsky Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Joash Lake (2015) | Isaac & Rebecca Paiewonsky Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Tommy Wise (2016) | Isaac & Rebecca Paiewonsky Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Jemica Gumbs | J. Raymond Jones Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Yash Bajaj | Kimberly Brin Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Jan-Alexis Barry (Graduate) | Lana Vento Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Antonio Farchette | Lana Vento Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Brianna Hairston | Lana Vento Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Amali Krigger | Lana Vento Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Jenisha Stapleton | Lana Vento Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Muhammad Ali | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Felicea Fontenelle | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Jemoi Gibbs | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Peter Jean-Baptiste | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Takia Joseph | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Joan Merrifield | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Kayla Webster | Marvin A. Blyden Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Shani Cook | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Croix |
| Alliyah Desout | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Thomas |
| Alvante Frett | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Thomas |
| Aron Gumbs | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Thomas |
| Sherise Gumbs | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Thomas |
| Kushakiniah Maduro | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Thomas |
| Sarah Sookraj | Milan & Aliki Glumidge Memorial Scholars | St. Croix |
| Raeniqua Kierra Victorine | Next Generation Scholars Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Karena Roberts-Lavinier | NSL Graduate Studies Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Jean Devera | Theodore E. Sharp Scholar Award | St. Croix |
| Lester Frett | Tunick Family Fund Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Ella Barr | Prior Family Interlochen Scholarship | St. Thomas |
| Lidell Hanley | Prior Family Interlochen Scholarship | St. Croix |
| Vivia Webster | Prior Family Interlochen Scholarship | St. Croix |
| UVI “Math Behind the Science” program | J. Raymond Jones Summer Enrichment Grant | St. Thomas |
| Keshawn Hardy | Jerry Silverberg Trumpet Award | St. Croix |
| Queen Louise Home for Children | Summer Enrichment Grants | St. Croix |
| World Ocean School | Summer Enrichment Grants | St. Croix |
| Laws of Life Essay Contest Winners(Students) | School | Island |
| Jonisha Aubain | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Tianna Belcher | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| K’vonte’ Dowe | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Ashley Fernandez | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Shania Grell | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Latisha Liburd | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Mary-Alice Prosper | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Myles Todman | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Deh’Shaniece Colon | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Keyrah Gumbs | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Keari Parris | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Arianna Watson | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Ellaina Wyllis | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Karian Acevedo | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Martisha Charles | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Tikory Felix | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Richel A. Ince | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Angelina Lang | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Angeline Lacdao | St. Croix Educational Complex High School | St. Croix |
| Reinella Labadie | St. Croix Educational Complex High School | St. Croix |
| Habeeda O’Neill | St. Croix Educational Complex High School | St. Croix |
| Laws of Life Essay Contest Winners(Teachers) | School | Island |
| Aimee Galtes | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Sharon Martin | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Antis Birmingham | CAHS | St. Thomas |
| Saraan Arnold | IEKHS | St. Thomas |
| Kendra Vickers | IEKHS | St. Croix |
| Reed Hapke | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Dinah Browne | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Lizette Llanos | St. Croix Central High School | St. Croix |
| Charlene Spencer | St. Croix Educational Complex High School | St. Croix |
| Natasha Liburd | St. Croix Educational Complex High School | St. Croix |
