Three students in need of financial assistance have received bursaries from the Continental Society of Bermuda.

Markia Peterson-Williamson, Nia Dailey and M’Dory Woods have won awards of $4,000, $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

Organisers said extra funds were awarded this year because there were 102 applicants for the scholarship.

Denise Simons, president of the Continental Society of Bermuda, said: “Our educational and community initiatives are dear to our hearts and we look forward to providing students across the island with whatever help we can.

“We were thrilled with the response to our annual scholarship and, after careful selection, we have chosen the three young women who we believe will greatly benefit from these funds.”

The top winner, Ms Peterson-Williamson, 22, will attend North Carolina A&T University in the US to study for a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology with a focus on child development and family studies.

She is a graduate of Bermuda College, where she obtained an associate’s degree in liberal arts in 2016.

She was accepted to study at a university overseas but was unable to attend for financial reasons.

Ms Dailey, 19, will attend Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she will study psychology and pre-medicine.

She graduated from Berkeley Institute last year with advanced honours, cum laude, top community service award, gold award and most well-rounded student award.

Ms Woods, 17, will attend Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, where she will study psychology, a subject she became interested in after the death of her sister last year.

Ms Woods also chose psychology because she feels Bermuda’s young people are in an emotional and difficult state dealing with violence, Bermuda’s politics and the education system.

The Continental Society of Bermuda is an affiliate chapter of Continental Societies Incorporated, an international public service organisation committed to improving the welfare of children in communities across the USA and Bermuda.

The Continental Society of Bermuda was founded in 1962 and has a volunteer membership of about 30 Bermudian women.

For more information, e-mail continentalbda@gmail.com.