Janelle Knight (right) receives the 13th Annual Caribbean Catalyst Inc. Kregg Nurse Memorial Scholarship Award from President of the Senate, Her Honour Kerryann Ifill.
Twenty-one year old, hearing impaired University of the West Indies (UWI) student Janelle Knight is the winner of this year’s Kregg Nurse Memorial Scholarship Award.
This announcement was made at the 13th Annual Caribbean Catalyst Inc. Kregg Nurse Memorial Scholarship Awards ceremony, where Knight was selected from one of two finalists. The young student, who was diagnosed with hearing loss at age two (being completely deaf in her right ear and limited hearing in her left ear) is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery.
Overcoming her challenges
Exceeding doctors’ expectations and defying the odds, Knight is not challenged when speaking or pronouncing words clearly. She has successfully completed her secondary education and she is currently focused on obtaining her university degree. As a person with a disability which is not conspicuous, she has found that some individuals may assume that she is being unresponsive or disinterested. Despite this, she has been able to overcome one major challenge of her hearing loss by sitting at the front of the class where the lecturers can be better heard.
A self motivated and forward thinking individual, Knight said that she would like to start a fund to help those in the disabled community. As winner of the scholarship, she will be using the funds to purchase text books, medical tools and clothing for training.
The second finalist, Gabriella Bovell-Niles, is also 21 years old and a UWI student pursuing a degree in Psychology and Sociology. In December 2015 Bovell-Niles was involved in a vehicular accident where she lost her right arm. Her goal is to become a Special Education Teacher and Speech Language Pathologist. Both young women received an award from Senator Kerryann Ifill and Caribbean Catalyst Inc. expressed its appreciation to them for participating in this year’s programme.
Brother of Kregg Nurse, Ricky Nurse, shared his appreciation to the media for their help in keeping his brother’s legacy alive.
“Kregg’s legacy will continue to be a source of inspiration to us all and I am confident that Janelle and Gabriella will continue to do us proud,” said Nurse.
Caribbean Catalyst Inc. established the Kregg Nurse Memorial Scholarship in 2015. This annual award is given to an individual with a disability who has successfully completed at least one year of the post-secondary school education, in any field, and who is continuing his/her formal education at a recognised tertiary education institution.