Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce celebrated the 10-year anniversary of her Pocket Rocket Foundation by awarding 11 Jamaican students with academic scholarships and gifts.
The group of students each received a scholarship valued at $100,000 and school supplies valued at approximately $80,000. They were presented with their gifts by Fraser Pryce during an awards ceremony last week.
“It’s more than just throwing money at a problem, it’s an investment. Our sponsors not only invest in us, but into the individual households of students throughout our communities. Together we are changing lives,” said Fraser-Pryce.
The supplies included Nike book bags, official Pocket Rocket Foundation notebooks and promise pins, book vouchers, a GraceKennedy food basket and a Samsung Galaxy A8 Digicel Tablet with $3,000 credit.
Student athletes awarded
The 11 recipients, all student athletes, were selected from a batch of 40 students across the island, according to the Pocket Rocket Foundation.
In a statement, the foundation thanked its various sponsors for coming on board.
“The scholarships cover tuition, books, uniforms, lunch, and travel expenses throughout their high school studies. Sponsors including GraceKennedy, Digicel, and Nike have helped the foundation raise the scholarship amount year over year to ensure the it can continue to support students and keep up with the cost of education over time,” the foundation said.
The National Baking Company Foundation donated $1 million to the Pocket Rocket Foundation, they said.
Since its inception, a total of 73 students, across 26 schools, have received Pocket Rocket scholarships.
The scholarship recipients for 2023 included track and field athletes Tshani Armstrong from St Catherine High, Natrece East from Wolmer’s High School for Girls, Nickayla Russell from Holmwood Technical, and Tyrone Lawson from Jamaica College.
Read more on Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce:
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce announces retirement from Olympics
- Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce wins Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
The list is completed by Papine High’s Lysandra Taylor who plays netball; Karissa Kelly, an emerging swimmer also from Wolmer’s High School for Girls; Excelsior High’s Kenrick McFarlane who is a talented cricketer; Knox College’s Jahiem Jackson who plays volleyball; Wolmer’s Boys’ Joel Lamm who plays table tennis and chess; Wolmer’s Boys’ Jordayne Grant who plays hockey; and Campion College’s Streme Cha who is a young footballer.
