The Caribbean Bottling Company (Bahamas) Ltd. (CBC) will once again select one exceptionally bright Garvin Tynes Primary School student to receive the Carleton W. Williams Scholarship. The six year award, which allows the recipient to pursue their studies at the high school of their choice, has allowed eight other talented, young Bahamian students to continue their education.
The 2022 recipient will join last year’s winner, Maliyah Edgecombe, 2020 recipient Angela Sands, 2019 recipient Gabriel Hall, 2018 recipients Kennedi Knowles and Anajah Culmer, 2017 recipient Kailena Pinder, and 2016 scholarship winners, D’Ron & T’Ron Strapp. Each year, the scholarship review panel alternates between selecting a student from Garvin Tynes Primary School in New Providence and a student from Grand Bahaha.
The scholarship, which was started in 2016, was named after the previous owner and Chairman of the Caribbean Bottling Company, Carleton W. Williams. Not only was Williams a leader and pioneer in the Bahamian business community, he also actively supported the efforts of a number of local charities as a donor and board member, and was committed to nurturing the growth and development of young Bahamians, through education. His dedication to community, culture, youth and the advancement of the Bahamian business community earned him awards from the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire awarded by Her Majesty the Queen of England, Businessman of the Year from the Chamber of Commerce, the Paul Harris Fellow from The Rotary Club, and the Salvation Army Others Award.
"Carleton Williams was not only a significant member of the Bahamian business community, nor was he just a colleague. He was a mentor and dear friend to numerous individuals that he supported over many years. He genuinely believed in the people of The Bahamas, and always wanted to see others grow. Carleton created and explored opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs, and through the exposure to his open mindedness about business, facilitated and encouraged Bahamians. Many can credit their success to his influence. His legacy will undoubtedly live on in the countless lives that he impacted in so many ways, the Carleton W. Williams Scholars, and those that he has directly and indirectly guided.", Walter Wells, CEO of the Caribbean Bottling Company."
Williams passed away in February 2021, but his legacy will undoubtedly live on in the young scholars who have received the annual scholarship to continue their education, at the high school of their choice.
Despite a challenging two years for many, and navigating a new educational experience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maliyah, Angela, Gabriel, Kennedi, Anajah, Kailena, D’ron and T’ron have continued to excel academically and personally.
Maliyah, who is the most recent recipient, notes that she has been doing well with the transition from primary to high school. She is looking forward to getting back to in-person classes, and plans to return to playing soccer in early February.
Angela is currently an eighth grader at St. John’s College. In 2021 she participated in a BAF Financial & Insurance art competition and plans to audition for The Bahamas Youth National Choir. Recently, she has also started jewelry making and still enjoys painting and drawing. This past semester, she was also able to maintain an A average.
Gabriel is a ninth grade student at the Sunland Baptist Academy in Grand Bahama and was able to earn a 3.3 GPA in the most recent school year. He is currently attending virtual classes and during the past Christmas break, participated in a baseball tournament held by Elite 9 Baseball. His team, The Lions, won the 12U division of the tournament.
Kennedi and Anajah are both tenth grade students attending St. John’s College and Aquinas College, respectively. Anajah recently joined the school’s Red Cross, where she assisted in a beach cleanup at Goodman’s Bay. She is still considering different career paths but has noted that she is interested in a career in cognitive therapy and psychology.
Kennedi completed the most recent semester with a 4.0 GPA while balancing her studies and athletics. She recently attended a track meet in Austin, Texas at Texas A&M University and will soon head to Kentucky University with her track club, Redline Athletics, to take part in their annual high school indoor track meet. Kennedi notes that she is excited to see what the future holds for her both academically and in track & field.
Kailena is an eleventh grade student at the Bishop Michael Eldon High School and is preparing to take her BGCSE examinations in the spring. She is currently a part of the New Life Worship Center Apprenticeship Program, where she made history as the first female to join the diesel mechanics course. She also recently received the principal's award for outstanding academic performance, while continuing her Computer Information Systems studies at BTVI where she has earned a Cisco Badge for completing the introduction to Cyber Security. She notes that she is also in the final stretch of another BTVI program, which is the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER) course, in addition to maintaining her involvement in The Governor General’s Youth Awards, Vex Robotics, Interact Club, Student Christian Movement Club, Grand Bahama's Bee Co-Op and Junior Achievement, where she is her company’s VP of Public Relations.
Twin brothers, T’Ron and D’Ron, were the first Carleton W. Williams Scholarship recipients and are currently in the twelfth grade of Aquinas College.
D’ron has recently been selected for the Aces Debate team and will participate in the BAISS series after his team won their last three competitions. He will also be taking 6 AP subjects this year which include Mathematics, Language and Composition, Physics, Biology, Psychology and 3-D Art and Design. He hopes to study biomedical engineering with the goal to become a pediatric prosthetist and orthotist one day. He has received over 10 college acceptances, so far.
T’ron is an active member of the Boy’s Brigade and this past December was promoted to a Staff Sergeant. He is also actively involved in his school’s debate team and was awarded “best speaker” in his most recent debate. He is keeping very busy academically, and is currently enrolled in six AP classes - Biology, English Language and Composition, Calculus, Physics, Craft and Psychology. He hopes to study mechanical engineering in the future, and this bright scholar is well on his way.
This year’s Carleton W. Williams scholar will be chosen from qualified applicants attending Garvin Tynes Primary School. Applications will be accepted until May 27, 2022 and students must be Bahamian citizens, graduating from the sixth grade at a Garvin Tynes Primary School, in need of financial assistance, have a 3.0 GPA or above, show evidence of involvement in community plus extra-curricular activities, and be able to attend the required candidate interviews. Complete details can be found on www.cbcbahamas.com
