CILEAH GILL has received a much-needed helping hand in the pursuit of her childhood dream of becoming a medical doctor.

She has copped this year’s Rotary Club West Scholarship, being selected from among nine applicants for the scholarship offered by the service club in partnership with the Sandy Lane Golf Classic and Diamonds International.
The past student of Charles F Broome Memorial Primary School and Queen’s College will be studying for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus.
During the presentation at the Ministry of Education’s headquarters on Monday, the 19-year-old Gill expressed her gratitude.

“I am more than ecstatic to be the 20th scholarship winner. Studying medicine has been a life-long dream of mine from the age of four. I owe everything to my parents who have and always will be my number one supporters. I couldn’t have gotten this far without them”.
“With this assistance given to me, I know I will definitely go on and continue to do and achieve great things, and I will always give of my best because I know that at the end of the day, I have a lot of people who believe in me …. A special thanks to the Rotary Club and Ministry of Education for making this all possible,” she said.
Noting the importance of health care to national development, Gill said she intended to “use the knowledge gained from my studies to give back to my nation”.

She was congratulated by Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw, who encouraged her to strive for excellence, and to push beyond any challenges she might face along the way.
“On behalf of the Government of Barbados, I wish you the best in your future endeavors ….. This scholarship will be of tremendous value in assisting with your financial commitments over the course of the programme. We look forward to you adding value to our country on completion of your studies.”
Bradshaw also praised the Rotary Club and its partners for their contribution to the education sector over the past 20 years. She noted that they had provided over $150 000 in scholarship funding for Barbadian students pursuing studies in areas identified as key to national development, such as in science and technology, education and health.
President of Rotary Club West, Rene Butcher, said the organisation was keen on assisting Barbadian students who were affected by financial constraints.
“We have encountered young students who have been frustrated in their efforts to complete their course of study because they simply do not have the means to do so. That is why our programme not only focuses on academic ability. It’s a holistic assessment of the student.
“We’ve been able to find those students who show tremendous academic promise, who we believe can not only successfully complete their chosen course of study, but who we believe, after doing so, can make a significant contribution to our nation. We believe that education is the primary way for social, financial and economic advancement and that is why we continue to push this scholarship programme,” Butcher said. (BGIS)