Three young Caymanians have joined a growing list of Government High School Scholars recognised by the Ministry of Education for their high-achieving academic performances.
Sadie Seerattan, Thalia Clarke and Raphael Davis-Cordero have been named the 2024-2025 Government High School Scholars and were honoured at the third annual award reception held on 30 Jan. at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort.
Along with bragging rights, a social media campaign and a digital billboard, which will be displayed for 30 days, their recognition has earned them a scholarship valued at up to $100,000 each annually to support them in pursuing their overseas undergraduate studies at any of the world’s most prestigious universities.
The trio was selected from Caymanians who have attended a local government high school for at least-four consecutive years before sitting all their external examinations at that institution.
They are also among the academic top performers in their graduating class, attaining a minimum of 10 cumulative Level 2 passes, with minimum grades of A, 1 or Distinction. Their academic achievements have earned them all a place in a university featured on the Quacquarelli Symonds list of top 100 universities.
‘A very overwhelming moment’
Seerattan, a 17-year-old graduate from John Gray High School, told the Compass, “I am very pleased and very thankful for getting this award. It means a lot, and it’s definitely going to help me with my career and education and academics.”
For Davis-Cordero, 17, a Clifton Hunter High School graduate, being named a government scholar is something he’s been working towards for a long time.
“I’m very pleased to receive this award … There’s nothing that can really match it,” he said.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had and very thankful to God and to everyone who has been with me along the way … It’s a very overwhelming moment.”
Regarding the award, Davis-Cordero said, aside from what he can do with the scholarship, “It’s also mostly meant to inspire others to pursue academic heights.”
Clarke, 18, a Clifton Hunter graduate, told the Compass, “I am incredibly grateful. This is such a prestigious award and I’m glad to have received one. I’ve been following this award since its inception and manifesting it, to say the least. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for this.”
Opportunity and impact
During his remarks, Mark Ray, director of the Department of Education Services, asked attendees to consider the opportunities that are out there.
“You have serious responsibility for your brain and development. There’s not anything that’s done to you or for you. You are your key accountability partner on this journey … At the end of the day, what you put in is what you put out,” Ray said.
He added, to whom much is given, much is expected.
“Remember that at the end of the day, you have to think about, how do you help someone climb that ladder that you are currently climbing? How do you make sure that the Cayman Islands is better off because of you and the investment that has been placed in you? How do you ensure that the opportunities provided for you do not go for not? Think about the impact,” he said.
Since the inception of the award programme in 2022, Ministry of Education Acting Chief Officer Lyneth Monteith said, “The Ministry of Education has opened doors to transformative educational experiences that will shape not just careers but lives — all while removing the threat of financial barriers.”
She added, “This initiative has further enabled us to empower many more of our students to pursue their full potential by emulating the lofty academic standards demonstrated by their high-achieving peers, and in so doing, ultimately raising the profile of our government schools.”
Seerattan, Clarke and Davis-Cordero join past scholars Abigail Rose, Diamond White and Micah Leon.
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