Saint Kitts and Nevis

Scholarship

Grant

Bachelor of Science in International Tourism Management with Marketing

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad

Master of Science in Tourism Development

University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom

The CTO Foundation enabled me to migrate to Trinidad and Tobago to pursue a 3-year B.Sc in my preferred programme of International Tourism Management at the UWI St. Augustine Campus.  It was particularly helpful in my first year of study, my most rigid financial year, as this was 100% financed between the CTO Foundation and my savings.  My 2006 Grant went to covering my Tuition Costs as a student from a Non-Campus Territory, and this allowed me to focus on building my grades to the point where I was awarded an OAS scholarship for 2007 and again for 2008.  Support from the CTO Foundation continued from 2007 – 2009 and this support covered living expenses like housing, internship training and airfare. Needless to say, without the help of the CTO Foundation I would have had difficulty meeting the cost of my education and would not have been able to focus on graduating top of my class with First Class Honours.  In a more extreme scenario I would have had to leave university as I simply could not afford it on my own, and I lacked the means to secure debt financing.

I am doubly honoured to be both a CTO scholarship and study grant recipient, and for that level of support I am eternally grateful to the CTO Foundation.  As such, I continue to do my best to support every initiative of the Foundation and the wider CTO, as I understand the real value of the work both entities undertake.  The CTO Foundation will always have a special place in my heart as I am ever aware of what could have been my path if this type of assistance was not awarded to me.  Such continued support was a tangible vote of confidence in my abilities and helped to anchor my drive to deliver notable return on investment for the Foundation, and my desire to always give back to the development of Caribbean Tourism.  I understand that I have a responsibility to always represent the region to the best of my abilities, and reflection on this support encourages me to continue developing myself as an Independent Consultant to help keep the region relevant in the face of growing global competition.  Simply put, being a CTO scholarship and study grant recipient means that I have to remain willing to speak my mind honestly, not just to criticize but to always offer potential solutions, even if it means disagreeing with the status quo.  I truly love the tourism industry, and bit by bit I am determined to help the Caribbean truly harness such through the development of more resilient tourism products outside of the traditional Sea, Sun and Sand approach.

I am currently employed as a Sustainable Tourism Development Consultant at the Caribbean Tourism Organization in Barbados.

Year of Scholarship

2007

2008

2009

Year of Grant

2006