The Bermuda Public Services Union announced it has handed out a total of $680,000 in higher education grants to members and their dependents.

The 28th annual ceremony, held on Wednesday, was led by Armell Thomas, president of the BPSU, and Kevin Grant, chairman of the education committee.

This year’s 12 recipients got six awards of $1,500 for on-island or online education and six awards of $3,500 for overseas education.

The on-island and remote recipients were Lauren Burchall, for Mount Saint Vincent University (Bermuda College); Crystal Dill, Micaiah Felix, and Eslyn Watt for Walden University; B. Carol-Ann Tacklyn, for the University of South Carolina, and Téja Watson, for Bermuda College.

The awards for students who will study overseas went to Reanna Bassett, for Dalhousie University; Aleah Clarke, for Walla Walla University; Christopher Jackson, for Eastern Michigan University; Ricyzha Phipps, for Kingston University; Tamia Place, for Georgia State University and Ashleigh Wilson, for De Montfort University,

The awards have been given out every year since 1993.