NEW SCHOLARS - Recipients of new scholarship awards by the Lyford Cay Foundation and The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation gathered at the British Colonial Hilton recently for a luncheon send-off that included words of wisdom from Foundation chairman, Harry C. Moore, 3rd from right, advice from Monique Hinsey, Foundation Special Scholastic Assistance Search Coordinator, far right, and lots of well-wishes from past or continuing scholars. More than 325 students are attending colleges and vocational schools at home and abroad with more than $1.4 million in assistance. Also pictured in front row, l to r, Dr. Leon Higgs, president, College of The Bahamas, Arline Dorsett, Foundation secretary, Mrs. Nancy Kelly, co-chairman of the COB Scholarship Endowment Fund and Roger Kelty, Director of Educational Programs at the Lyford Cay Foundation, to the right of Mr. Moore.

Lyford Cay Foundation Awards Record $1.4 Million in Scholarships

The Lyford Cay Foundation and The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation are awarding more than $1.4 million in scholarships this month, helping to send a record number of Bahamians to colleges and technical training schools at home and abroad.

Some 325 young men and women are off to undergraduate, graduate and vocational courses with financial assistance from the Foundation, the largest private source of educational assistance in the region.

Many of the recipients were treated to a luncheon send-off recently complete with Bahamian fare, words of wisdom about the importance of giving and a heaping helping of beseeching each and every promising young Bahamian to return home when their studies were completed to help create a better Bahamas. They also got practical advice and an invitation to network with past recipients through the Lyford Cay Scholars Association.

"Think of your education as your passport to the future.think positively and accept the challenges before you," advised Foundation Chairman Harry C. Moore, gazing across the Governors' Ballroom at the British Colonial Hilton at a crowd that numbered nearly 120, tables decorated with college flags along with packages of practical and humorous advice for each student. "And above all, heed these words of wisdom that (Sir) John Templeton taught me and I have lived by ever since: The best thing to do in life is to teach others the joy of giving!"

Mr. Moore told students that their selection as Lyford Cay scholars was not a gift. Competition for scholarships was stiff, they earned what they received and along with that came the moral responsibility of 'teaching others the joy of giving.'

They also earned the responsibility, said keynote speaker Dr. Ian Strachan, a playwright, lecturer and poet, to return home and tackle a myriad of problems.

"Your country needs young people like yourselves to step up and deliver solutions to national problems," said Dr. Strachan, who earned a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. with Foundation financial assistance and support. He rattled off a list - a litany of social ills or challenges to be addressed. Leading the list was the disenfranchisement of the young Bahamian male.

"What does it mean to be a Bahamian male today and how does that disenfranchisement, the lack of identity and purpose contribute to a crime rate that is reaching intolerable levels?" Dr Strachan asked. He expressed concern about a tourism product that could destroy itself through over-development. And he challenged scholars to consider how to encourage "a population living in all but squalid conditions in crowded neighborhoods in Nassau to move to other islands where large areas of undeveloped land and opportunity exist."

Dr. Strachan talked of the acceptance of what he termed "a cult of mediocrity," a poor work ethic, of too little motivation and too much materialism and selfishness - a combination that has driven good people away from much-needed professions like teaching and toward business where they earn more. And he beseeched scholars to serve as role models for young Bahamian males, to return home and "help fight these fights."

For many just beginning their college careers, Dr. Strachan's words were challenges for what must have felt like a distant future. Helpful hints about roommates, studying and self-discipline provided by Foundation Special Scholastic Assistance Search Coordinator Monique Hinsey, who organized the luncheon, addressed immediate concerns and helped calm nerves and churning stomachs for many leaving home for the first time.

Students were comforted, too, by the words of one of their own - another Lyford Cay scholarship recipient, Alexandria Gatis, a junior at Taylor University, where she is studying accounting and is serving in the student Cabinet of Taylor Association of Business Students for the third year.

"I always heard that college is the best time of your life," she told recipients. "And it's absolutely true. I was nervous just like you. But these have been the best years of my life and they'll be your best, too."