This September, young Caymanians Tyleisha Galbraith and Simon Watson are headed back to school after excelling in their final examinations and graduating from Cayman Prep and High School and Layman Scott High School (formerly Cayman Brac High School). But they are not continuing on to a traditional educational institution, and these sixteen year olds will be far from home

Following a rigorous selection process earlier this year, Tyleisha and Simon were selected to receive full scholarships to attend a prestigious United World College, where they will live and study with 200 other students from over 70 different countries.

Tyleisha will attend Pearson College UWC in Victoria, British Columbia and stated: “I look forward to being part of this multicultural community that extends values that I hope will be one day seen as universal.” Simon will matriculate to UWC Adriatic in Duino, Italy and is looking forward to “getting the full experiencing first-hand of what it’s like to live and interact in a culture that is completely different from my own.”

Deutsche Bank is a major corporate sponsor of the UWC Cayman Islands scholarship programme, allowing the charitable foundation to select students based entirely on merit to attend one of twelve colleges around the world. In 2009, Deutsche Bank made a five-year commitment to donate US$20,000 each year, and this year extended that commitment through 2014.

Janet Hislop, Chief Country Officer, remarked: “In today’s knowledge-based society, education is a key resource. It secures the future of individuals and society at large. At Deutsche Bank, we believe that access to programs to acquire skills and receive training must be open to all talented people regardless of their gender, social background and parents’ education.  It is for this reason that we are delighted to support this scholarship programme, which offers local students the opportunity to broaden their academic, social and cultural horizons.”

UWC Cayman Islands Vice Chairperson, Aubrey Bodden, noted: “Four years ago our selection committee received applications from more qualified and deserving young Caymanians than we were able to fund. That same year, Deutsche Bank reached out and made a generous long-term pledge to our scholarship programme, allowing us to select an additional scholar. Since then, their annual donations have partially supported ten students at six different colleges and will continue to support Tyleisha, Simon and our future scholars. We are so grateful for corporate sponsors like Deutsche Bank that recognise the importance of the UWC movement and make our work possible.”

Since 1984, almost 70 Caymanians have benefited from a UWC education, which combines a rigorous 2-year pre-university academic programme with extensive community service, co-curricular activities and shared living to promote international and intercultural understanding. This unique experience promotes a sense of idealism and alumni carry this with them beyond the two-year programme, working to positively impact their local communities in a variety of ways.

Companies & individuals interested in donating to UWC Cayman Islands are invited to email [email protected]. Applications are accepted in March each year from students aged 15-17 and more information is available at www.uwc.org.

PHOTO:

UWC Cayman Islands Chairperson Hon. Tara Rivers, MLA (UWC Atlantic College ’92) accepts the Deutsche Bank donation from Director Dan Peterson, as (L-R) Helen Allen, Deutsche Bank Head of Client Services (Atlantic College ’83); Aubrey Bodden UWC Cayman Islands Vice Chairperson (UWC-USA ’04); Tyleisha Galbraith (Pearson College ’15); and Simon Watson (UWC Adriatic ’15) look on