A host of Bermudian students can look forward to getting ahead in the insurance world after winning scholarship awards from the Ace Group of Companies.

The scholarships, which included the prestigious Ace/Robert Clements Scholarship, the Ace/Bermuda College Education Award and the Ace Foundation Scholarship, were presented to the recipients at a ceremony held at Ace's offices yesterday.

Christine Jack received the Ace/Robert Clements Scholarship, which attracted its biggest ever number of applicants at almost 30 students in its 14th year. Jahniqua Simmons and Kenisha Pough picked up the first ever Ace/Bermuda College Education Awards, worth $7,500 to cover tuition and fees for the two years following Bermuda College graduation. Ashleigh Simons won the Ace Foundation Scholarship.

Ms Jack, who graduated from Bermuda High School in May, will be reading a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Accounting at Queen's University in September, where she will have a fully-funded four-year scholarship.

Ms Simmons, who graduated with an Associate Degree in Business Administration with merit from Bermuda College, has been accepted to St. John's University and plans to pursue a BSc degree from The Peter J Tobin College of Business with a major in Risk Management and Insurance before returning to the Island to work as an underwriter.

Ms Pough will attend Temple University, where she will study a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with a major in Marketing at the School of Business and Management, having also graduated from Bermuda College with an Associate Degree in Business Administration, with plans to come back to Bermuda to work in the international business sector.

The event kicked off with a welcome speech by Lori Samson, chief administration officer of Ace Ltd., followed by an address and presentation of the Ace/Bermuda College Education Awards from Dr. Duranda Greene, president of Bermuda College, in which she thanked Ace for investing in the College's students and the future of Bermuda.

Crystal Clay, director of learning and development at Ace and from the Ace/Bermuda College educational award selection committee then talked about the selection process for students, whittling down four candidates to the two who were finally chosen, before Ralph Richardson, executive director of the Ace Foundation handed out the Ace/Robert Clements Scholarship and Ace Foundation Scholarship awards.

Patrick Suter, the 2005 Ace/Robert Clements Scholar and now actuarial analyst at Ace, and Patrick Tannock, executive vice-president of Ace Bermuda, then spoke on the main award and the opportunities afforded to Bermudian students by the scholarships.

Ace and Bermuda College set up a partnership in October 2008 to help students understand the connection between their studies and the workplace and launched the inaugural Ace/Bermuda College Education Awards this year for qualified Bermuda College graduates enrolled in at least the third year of a four-year degree programme at an accredited university, covering tuition and fees for up to two years after graduation. The Ace Foundation Scholarship is a discretionary award made periodically by the Ace Foundation scholarship selection committee to assist students in completing their studies. All winners will be offered winter and summer employment with Ace as part of the company's Student Employment Programme.