Diane Graham, a brilliant student of St Andrew High School for girls, is the 2017 recipient of the inaugural 
Bold Goals Scholarship for Girls. This scholarship was awarded to her, after a rigorous application process, conducted by The Nubian Council of Jamaica. Since this information became public knowledge, a number of persons have asked what is the Council and how did the scholarship come about.
Two years ago I attended the Week of Women celebrations in the UK and in particular, the Women of the Future Conference. While there, I met the Founder of the conference, Pinky Lilani OBE, who spoke about the power of kindness and collaboration to change the world for good and impact others. I was sold on the concept of using convening power, collective kindness and a passion for service to touch the lives of someone else. Instantly, I started thinking about what I could do once I got back in Jamaica, to translate the lessons from this conference into practical action. See, I thought of my friends because I always saw myself being a part of a ‘circle of winners.’ The young women I am connected to are all outstanding in their own right, and all have a passion for nation-building. When I returned home, I pitched an idea to eight friends, all leading young women in Jamaica – Krystal Tomlinson, Kerin Scott, Lacey-Ann Bartley, Allison Richards, Jameela Geddes, Rasheen Robinson, Samara South and Terisa Thompson – and it didn’t take a second for all to be agreed that this is something they would love to be a part of. Through conversations in person and over WhatsApp they added new dimensions to the idea because they too had been thinking about ways to give back. The Bold Goals Scholarship was born, and we decided to call our collaboration The Nubian Council. For us, the council is a celebration of sisterhood, excellence, friendship and boldly putting our skills and power together. It really is a bit of Black Girl Magic.
The decision was taken that we would all reach out to our past schools to find that ideal candidate for the award. We created an application form and sent the details to our high schools. We were looking for a young woman who was excelling in academics, leadership, community service and had great potential. It must have been a student with demonstrable financial need. We just wanted to put a drop in the bucket to help her achieve her goals.The application period ran from August 1-31, 2017 and culminated in an award totaling $100,000 in cash and personal development training for the top applicant. Application and interviews over, the first recipient of the #BoldGoals scholarship is Diane, and we are already so proud of her. We are extremely pleased to have Diane as the standard-bearer for what will become an annual initiative that identifies, awards and mentors young Jamaican women.
Terisa Thompson is a proud past student of St Andrew High, so no doubt she was happy to have Diane be the first awardee. In an article carried by the Youth Link magazine, Terisa shared that, “What really won us over was Diane’s essay. Diane, spoke passionately about her bold goal of serving children in need of cardiac care and has a record of community service that proves her commitment to creating a better Jamaica. We were also impressed by the value Diane placed on friendships.”
Diane is now in Grade 12 and says he plans to become a medical doctor, specialising in cardiology. She has a bold vision for Jamaica, which, in her words, is, ” To see children who are suffering from severe heart problems or any illness, be taken care of financially, emotionally and mentally.” In the future, Diane hopes to have her own foundation to cater to those in need.
Bright and early on the morning of November 15, we formally presented Diane with her award. See, the Directors took an active role in this; even to have a fabulous hand-made envelope done by Allison Richards. Principal of St Andrew High School, Mrs Sharon Reid, was happy to welcome us and she was so proud of Diane. Mrs Reid told us, “We are very pleased that Diane has received this inaugural award. We emphasise to our students the importance of service, of giving back and also integrity in leadership so we are grateful for this initiative and we look forward to participating and publicising the opportunity in years to come.”
We intend to do this again next year and the year after that… We have all been receiving messages from other persons wanting to find out how they can support the initiative for the next year. That makes us excited! What we hope is that our initiative will inspire other groups of friends, colleagues or clubs, to give back in a meaningful way. Together, we can do something. Help another person up. It doesn’t matter if as an individual you only have a little bit, because ‘one one cocoa, full basket!’ So, try. Try together.
This counts as one of my proudest moments, and already Diane has told us she is inspired and so grateful. She has been benefiting from mentorship and networking opportunities provided by the directors. Officially, she is one of our little sisters. Here’s to her very bright future, as she knocks down her Bold Goals!
The Bold Goals Scholarship seeks to afford bright, rounded and promising young women with financial aid at the secondary level while providing mentorship and leadership training. If you know anyone fitting that description, please follow @thenubiancouncil on instagram, and look out for the 2018 dates.