The National Commercial Bank Foundation celebrated its ‘Sweet 16’ on Wednesday (August 14) by honouring the achievements of its 2024 scholarship and grant recipients at AC Hotel in Kingston.

It was an emotionally charged event, with parents, friends and awardees filled with pride and appreciation.

The Foundation awarded 18 deserving students scholarships and grants totalling $7.2 million, with two awardees — John-Ross Crooks and Joshua Newsome — receiving J$700,000 annually.

In attendance to celebrate the awardees were State Minister Marsha Smith, representing the absent Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams, Chairman of NCB Financial Group Limited, Michael Lee-Chin, and Chairman of the NCB Foundation, Thalia Lyn.

With the theme ‘Milestone Moments’ the monumental event not only celebrated the accomplishments of the awardees but also included interactive activities designed to help them visualise and plan for their future, featuring goal-setting exercises aimed at inspiring the next generation of leaders.

An exhilarating game of Jeopardy! with a Jamaican and NCB twist, added to the afternoon’s celebratory mood. 

In true ‘Sweet 16’ fashion Lee-Chin, Lyn, past recipient of NCB Foundation scholarship Ainsworth Morris, and NCB Foundation’s Jamilia Crooks-Brown cut the birthday cake together. All four exemplified how hard work and community involvement can have a lasting impact on people’s lives.

Lee-Chin’s address focused on the three-step formula people can apply to achieve long-term success. 

• Step 1: Identify a role model — someone who has already completed the endeavour being pursued. Ensure this role model is the best or among the best at what they do.
• Step 2: Get the role model’s recipe to the most detailed minutiae. 
• Step 3: Execute the recipe faithfully.

He also declared that as a guideline to how he lives his life, he endeavours to give back to the community. Lee-Chin said he lives by a code; ‘prosperitas cum caritate’ — which in Latin speaks to his belief that businesses must ‘not only do well, but also do good’. To Lee-Chin, the true quantifier of success is how much you care and reciprocate your success.

He also emphasised the transformative power of compounding and the crucial role of perseverance. According to Lee-Chin, many people mistakenly view success as a straight line, but in reality, it resembles a curve with a pivotal inflexion point. He demonstrated this in a video presentation played for the audience and that can be found on NCB’s YouTube channel.

Lee-Chin noted one of the main reasons people struggle to achieve long-term success is their disappointment with the immediate returns on their efforts. He highlighted that perseverance is often the key differentiator between those who stay on the path to success and those who stray from their purpose.

He said having a clear purpose enables individuals to embody the traits of a rhino — that is, one should have tough skin, keep their head down, and always move forward.

“Congratulations,” he said, addressing the awardees, “you are the future of Jamaica. Your behaviour today is your history tomorrow.”

Smith echoed the sentiment of Lee-Chin and lauded the NCB foundation for its contributions toward the education of Jamaica’s youth.

Tip for Success

In her vibrant address, Thalia Lyn gave the story of her struggle to succeed.

“We all had to get tertiary education,” said Lyn. “I did the three P’s — predict, plan and persist…I finished high school and got my scholarship.” Lyn, a former teacher at Immaculate Conception High School, struggled to find her purpose, trying her hand at multiple vocations before landing on what we now know as Island Grill.

She attributed her success to finding her purpose and passion and urged the awardees to learn from her journey to success.

Journalist and past recipient of the NCB Foundation scholarship, Ainsworth Morris shared his inspiring story of resilience and steadfastness that led him to a career in media. Recalling the times he entered and lost the Prime Minister Youth Award competition, Ainsworth said he remained positive throughout. “I never won, but I never gave up,” he said.

Being awarded the NCB Foundation scholarship awardee afforded Morris more than the cash reward itself, as throughout the years the relationships he gained with key personnel aided in his personal and educational growth. 

“NCB showed me the true meaning of love, and on top of that, gave me financial assistance when I needed it most,” he said. “They also gave me inspiration when I needed it.”

Since its inception over 23 years ago, NCB Foundation proved itself to be a cornerstone of educational support in Jamaica, having invested over $1 billion in scholarships and grants. 

Over 13,500 students have benefited from this extensive support, which aligns with Jamaica’s evolving educational needs. 

The foundation has significantly increased its budget to over J$43 million, in celebration of its 16th anniversary. This remarkable rise from the previous year is a testament to the organisation’s progress and fantastic news for future awardees.

See more photos from the event: