Eighteen year old first year UWI student, Asad McKenzie, is the 2006 recipient of the Bruce Rickards Scholarship. The annual scholarship which is in its 5th year is awarded by the Grace Kennedy Foundation to a KC student of outstanding academic achievement in memory of the first chairman of the KC Development Trust Fund (KCDTF), Bruce Rickards who was an outstanding manager of Grace Kennedy and also a director of the Grace Kennedy Foundation. The Scholarship which is awarded to Bruce Rickards’ alma-mater, was first announced by Chairman of the Foundation, Douglas Orane, at Rickards’ funeral at St Andrew Parish Church in 2001.
McKenzie entered KC from Holy Rosary Preparatory in the autumn of September 1999. He received the grade 9 prize for good work at Prize Giving 2004 and in grade 10 a similar prize for good work at Prize Giving 2005. He graduated in June 2004 and went to sixth form having attained 10 CXC ‘O’ levels in Biology, Caribbean History, Chemistry, English A, English B, Physics, Social Studies, Spanish, Mathematics and Information Technology. In 2005 he obtained 4 unit 1 subjects in Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies and Pure Mathematics and 4 subjects mainly unit 2 in CAPE 2006: Chemistry, Biology, Pure Mathematics and Caribbean Studies.
He has been involved in several extra curricula activities such as chairman of projects in the Key Club; treasurer of the Interact Club, secretary of the Student Council Inter-form and representative of grade 7 and 11 in the Inter-form Quiz Team. He also turned out for the KC Schools’ Challenge Quiz team. His hobbies include football and track athletics.
He is presently attending UWI where he is pursuing mathematics, Biology and Chemistry in the faculty of Pure and Applied Science. His ambition is to be a medical doctor.
The Bruce Rickards Scholarship alternates between UWI and UTECH and mainly covers tuition but is flexible and can be extended to cover books, boarding and other costs depending on the circumstances of the student. McKenzie has been awarded the scholarship for three years at $350,000 per year. The Jamaica College equivalent is called the Carlton Alexander Memorial which is awarded to the alma mater of another outstanding Grace Kennedy stalwart.
This is the fifth year of the Bruce Rickards and the four other recipients who preceded McKenzie were:
2002- Greg Walcolm: He was awarded the scholarship fresh out of KC’s six form and attended UWI Mona and Cave Hill campuses where he obtained the LLB Upper second class degree. He is presently in the final year of the two year certificate component of the 5 year law programme.
2003-Dwayne Morrell: When he was awarded the scholarship, he was a third year Business Administration student at the University of Technology (UTECH) majoring in production and operations management. He graduated at with a BBA degree in 2004/05
2004-Dwayne Burrowes: The headboy of KC 2002/03 recently completed his BSc degree in mechanical engineering from UWI, St. Augustine.
2005- Junior Gowie: The UTECH Mechanical engineering student is now in his final year of the 4 year degree programme at that university.
