Every year, thousands of students leave high school with the hope of pursuing tertiary education.

Unfortunately, many of these students’ dreams are crushed upon the realisation that they may not be able to afford the tuition.

Like those students, Delmar Squire and Keneisha Henry faced a similar issue in 2020 but the pair quickly found a solution – applying for scholarships.

“Upon seeing our peers struggle with finding scholarships and navigating the tedious scholarship application process in the pandemic, we decided to launch the All About Scholarships initiative in May of 2020 with the aim of aiding them,” the team shared with Our Today.

The dedicated team sought assistance from experts in the field so they could adequately serve students in search of scholarships.

“With the use of social media, we were able to garner expert assistance from individuals with years of experience in the field as well as past scholarship recipients to advise students seeking assistance through our WhatsApp Group,” Squire said.

Since its launch two years ago, the All About Scholarships team of volunteers has grown tremendously and so has its audience.

The team does not only help students find scholarships, they also help to prepare students for scholarship interviews.

“A series of virtual workshops were held to guide students in finding scholarships fit for them, provide advise for the application process and prepare for their scholarship interviews when they were shortlisted.”

Additionally, to capture the essence of these workshops and simplify the processes discussed, the team created a Jamaican scholarship database and a scholarship guide.

“Our workshops and resources have been utilised by over 2,000 students across Jamaica. In the event students require extra assistance, they never hesitate to reach out and … volunteers are always ready to assist,” Squire said.

With the team’s aim to reach even more students across the island, they have laid the foundation for the launch of their website. Due to a lack of funding, however, they have been having difficulty moving forward but hope to receive an influx of cash in order to have the website completed by the next academic year.

Persons who are interested in assisting with the development of the website may contact the team via the All About Scholarships Instagram page @allaboutscholarshipsja.