Young Bermudians headed to careers ranging from medicine to environmental policy have each received $25,000 towards their studies.

The trustees of the Nicholl Scholarships announced the winning five scholars for the 2021-22 school year, with awards going to a maximum of four years.

Hannah Marshall, 21, said she was “elated” to learn she was among this year’s winners.

The windfall means her postgraduate education, pursuing a Master of Research in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at University College London in the UK, will not entail student loans.

The two-year programme is run jointly by UCL’s Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families and the Child Study Centre at Yale University.

Hannah, from Warwick, expects to complete her studies in September 2023.

She said she had realised as an undergraduate that psychology focused on the effects of metal illness, usually in adulthood, but often disregarded preventing it before it arose.

She plans a career crossing developmental clinical psychology and education, adding: “I aspire to treat childhood and adolescent mental illness through clinical interventions and to prevent mental illness through the development and institution of early-education programmes which support mental wellness and healthy socio-emotional development.”

Hannah aims to build her research skills and understanding of the neural basis of developmental psychopathology before moving on to a PhD in clinical psychology.

Her plan is to eventually found a practice in Bermuda, working with schools to get mental health education on the curriculum.

She added: “I intend for my private practice to fund training for teachers, workshops for parents, and pro bono mental health services for families facing financial hardship.”

Natalie Calderon, 18, is headed into her second year at University College London in the UK, to graduate in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Social and Political Studies, specialising in Spanish.

She said: “The scholarship’s values really resonated with me: advocating for, and highlighting the importance of, education, while also recognising the value of being well-rounded.”

Natalie, from Warwick, said she had been encouraged growing up to develop “skills outside a classroom”.

She was drawn to political science after studying global politics for the international baccalaureate at Bermuda High School for Girls, and she opted to continue studying Spanish for the opportunities the second language would open for her.

She said she was stunned and “overwhelmed with gratitude” when she got a call informing her that she had won the scholarship.

She added: “I was hit with so many emotions that I truthfully didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.”

Natalie said the scholarship, which will help with the cost of London living, gave her a chance to thank her parents for their support – and would allow her to “land on my feet” studying in South America during her third year.

She said she ultimately plans on coming home to contribute to the island, bringing experience that will include a year interning with the London-based charity for at-risk youngsters, Children Change Colombia.

Gabriella Medeiros, 18 and a Saltus graduate, is an aspiring medical student who will be pursuing a Bachelor of Science at McGill University in Canada.

She was drawn to apply by the scholarship’s history of support for medicine.

Gabriella, of Pembroke, said she was “beyond excited and utterly overjoyed” at the news of her success.

Her passion for medicine came from the tragedy of losing an older brother to the genetic illness muscular dystrophy when she was 4.

“Because of his illness, he required a great deal of professional medical care,” she said.

“This meant that for the first four years of my life, most of my time was spent amid doctors, nurses, in hospitals; I was truly immersed into a life that was heavily centred around medicine.”

She said the experience left her with a desire to help people like her brother.

Gabriella said she was proud for her years of hard work and thankful to God once the reality of the scholarship sank in.

After graduating from McGill in 2025 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology, she plans to attend medical school.

The award will “greatly ease the tremendous financial stress of university fees” on her family, with a younger brother’s education to cover.

Gabriella, whose current interests include paediatrics, cardiology, and neurology, plans to return home as a physician.

She added: “I want to give back to the people of Bermuda who gave so much to me.”

Emma Stegmann, 18, heard of the scholarships through a family friend.

She has her sights set on a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of Manchester in the UK, expecting to graduate in June 2021.

Emma, from Devonshire, “jumped for joy” and said there were “too few words to describe my shock and surprise and sense of accomplishment” when she was told by phone of her success.

The topic of economics and its impact on the world captivated her during her GCSE studies.

Emma said she was intrigued by “all the almost unnoticeable policies that craft our everyday behaviour”.

Her scholarship will enable her to explore her subject with some of “the best economists in the world”.

She added: “It will allow me to use my knowledge in economics to, in the future, return back to Bermuda to work at a reinsurance firm and be involved in environmental policy creation to help nudge Bermuda in a more green direction.”

Charlotte Theisen is headed for a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry in the UK.

The 19-year-old, from Paget, heard of the Nicholl Scholarship through Your Future magazine.

“You cannot imagine my sheer joy at winning, and it still feels slightly unreal, like I am observing another person’s fortunes, not my own,” she said. “I am truly grateful.”

Charlotte, who expects to graduate in 2025, wanted to channel her love of science into a career where she could work with people.

She added: “The award will allow me take on voluntary roles in the healthcare field in Bermuda during university vacation times, rather than taking on a paying job to help fund my education.”

Charlotte plans to build her experience and qualifications as a junior doctor in England.

She aims to work back home in Bermuda in a speciality medical branch that would benefit the island, such as endocrinology, to treat diabetes.

The awards are named after Lieutenant Albert Nicholl, who came to Bermuda from Britain during the First World War as chief examination officer for the Royal Naval Reserve.

He took an interest in education in Bermuda, especially at Dellwood School in Pembroke, and established the Nicholl Institute, a trades school for boys.

He also set up scholarships at three fee-paying schools and donated a new maternity wing to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Mr Nicholl later willed the bulk of his estate to the scholarship fund set up in his name.