The Montpelier Re Foundation was so impressed with the quality of applicants for its scholarship that it awarded two instead of one.

The applicants who stood out to the scholarship committee were Alisha Gabriel and Kimberly Fisher, who were each awarded a $10,000 scholarship for their next two years of study.

The award will help medical student Ms Gabriel to complete the fifth and sixth years of her course at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). She is currently in the top eight percent of her class of 189 students.

She is one of just four medical students who return to Bermuda each summer to work at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH). She is chairman of The Bermuda Medical Students' Society and she founded the first Bioethics Society at RCSI. In addition, she is the Captain of the RCSI swim team and is a member of the Caribbean and Music Societies.

Ms Fisher is entering her third year in Business Administration at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina and aspires to return to Bermuda to pursue a career in marketing. She is spending her summer working as an intern for the Department of Tourism in New York City. She is actively involved in the non-profit organisation, Tilted Nations, which she co-founded with a friend.

Tilted Nations works with girls aged 13-18, getting them involved in community service events put on by both Tilted Nations and outside organisations, teaching them the value of service and awareness.

Dame Pamela Gordon Banks, head of Montpelier Re Foundation's Scholarship Selection Committee, said: "Montpelier Re should be commended for its contribution to the Bermuda community. The students we interviewed were of such a high calibre that it is a win-win situation for them, Montpelier Re as well as for Bermuda which will be the ultimate beneficiary of such a liaison."

This is the second year that Montpelier Re Foundation has funded its academic scholarship. Last year's inaugural scholarship winner Ryan Cabral, 20, is now interning at Montpelier Re for the summer.

The Montpelier Re Scholarship is open to suitably qualified full-time Bermudian students who are entering either the third or fourth year of a three- or four-year degree programme at an accredited university or college. The Education Award will fund up to $15,000 per year based on financial need to cover "Qualifying Educational Expenses" and is tenable for up to two years. There is no limit on the age of applicants. Students who are interested in next year's scholarship should visit information (www.mre.bm/foundation).