Dominican receives CTO scholarship

A Dominican student has been awarded a scholarship by the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to pursue studies abroad. Nikisha Rabess of Solomon Lane, Goodwill, has been accepted by the University of Surrey in the UK to study for a masters degree in marketing.

Ms. Rabess, a member of the Kalinago community, is one of only six students from across the Caribbean to be awarded scholarships by the CTO this year. The other recipients are from Barbados, British Virgin Islands (BVI), Dominica, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Maarten and St. Vincent

"I consider being a CTO Foundation Scholarship awardee an absolute honour. As a young professional, I have always endeavored to strive towards higher attainments by simply pursuing excellence in all that I do. This scholarship award is an opportunity to enhance my area of strength, work relations as well as in the realization of my full potential in the field of tourism marketing," she said.

Rabess, who describes herself as a "consistent, flexible, thorough, enthusiastic and an innovative team player with unquestionable integrity," has just completed her BSc in marketing, with an emphasis on management, at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies where she scored a grand point average of over 3.5. She is a former employee of the National Bank of Dominica.

The scholarship, worth US$5000, was awarded through the CTO Foundation, the regional tourism development agency's scholarship programme, which supports Caribbean nationals pursuing further studies in tourism-related subjects and language training. Scholarship winners also receive assistance with travel to their chosen university.

The CTO Foundation helped over 200 Caribbean nationals pursue studies to the tune of approximately US$1m since it was founded in 1997.

Meanwhile, a second Dominican seeking to further his studies abroad is receiving assistance from the CTO. David Thornhill of Fond Cole has been awarded a study grant of US$2500 to help cover his costs to continue his studies at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in international hospitality and tourism management.

This year, the Foundation awarded US$45,000 in scholarships and grants to twelve Caribbean nationals.

"All of these individuals demonstrated high levels of achievement and leadership both within and outside of the classroom," said Jacqueline Johnson, the chairman of the board of directors of the CTO Foundation.