Every year the Nicholl scholarship renews my faith in Bermuda’s future. That was the word from Rick Spurling, Chairman of the Nicholl Scholarship.

This year’s recipients of the $25,000 scholarship were Rebecca Heyliger, Troy Anderson, Stephanie Hollis-Smith, Kyla Bolden and Jasmine Lee.

These students were chosen out of 125 applications and 15 shortlisted students.

“It is always important to emphasise that the Nicholl scholarship is not just about academics,” said Mr Spurling. “That is a number one priority, but we also focus on character which mainly is gleaned from what they do and their interview with us. We are focused on leadership, and what they have achieved in leadership in their lives so far.”

Jasmine Lee, 18, said she was shocked when she got the phone call saying she had won a Nicholl Scholarship.

“When I finally got past disbelief, I felt extremely honoured and grateful for the recognition of all of the effort I put into my years at Warwick Academy, especially for the two years of International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.”

Miss Lee is about to start her first year at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She plans to major in visual art and become an art teacher. Blessed and grateful, was how Kyla Bolden felt when she learned she was receiving the scholarship.

“I couldn’t believe that all my hard work had paid off and will be forever thankful for this scholarship,” said Miss Bolden, 18. She is going into her sophomore year at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts where she is studying international relations with a concentration in economics.

Rebecca Heyliger, 21, is entering her fifth and final year of a Masters in Public Diplomacy programme at the University of Southern California (USC). “I will also be finishing off my National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) career as team captain of the USC swim and dive team. Her career goal is to work as a diplomat for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in embassies throughout the world.

Troy Anderson said the scholarship has taken a major financial stress off his family.

“I have always had a passion for weather and am currently studying atmospheric sciences at the Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the pursuit of a career in meteorology,” he said.

The Nicholl scholarship is named for Albert E Nicholl, who arrived in Bermuda from England during the First World War, and was generous in giving his time and talents to schools here, especially Dellwood School.