After her flight was cancelled, a medical student battled all odds yesterday to get to Bermuda to accept the first-ever Dr. James A.C. King Medical Scholarship.

Despite the travel adventure, Ms Winstanley, a Bermudian, arrived on the Island with just an hour to spare and in great spirits to receive the Bank of Butterfield Scholarship in honour of former bank Chairman and surgeon Dr. James King, which has an annual value of $40,000.

According to Ms Winstanley, 27, studying general medicine at London's Imperial College, the scholarship will help her in two ways. "One is obviously by the financial lift that it gives me, it just takes the burden of worrying about all the tuition, accommodation and living expenses.

"But also I think it gives me a boost in terms of morale. I am sort of coming to the end of the first stage of my medical studies, so it makes me feel like all of my hard work is being rewarded and that makes me feel that much more determined to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor," she continued.

The scholarship, in honour of Dr. James King's contributions to the bank and community, was presented at the Bank of Butterfield's Head Office on Reid Street by a slightly "embarrassed" Dr. King.

"I'm honoured and a bit embarrassed," he told The Royal Gazette. "I'm not just one who really seeks the limelight so from that point of view I prefer to do things quietly and not in the headlights. I guess when others speak (highly) enough of you to want to create something such as this, I cannot help but be honoured.

Dr. King commended Ms Winstanley for doing exceptionally well in her studies and said: "As medical studies is an expensive undertaking, to receive a scholarship just takes some of the worry out of how you are going to meet some of the needs of your financial commitments.

"Her interests are in helping others so by helping her we just feed on her ability to do that," he said.

Ms Winstanley plans to specialise in psychology and mental health and will return to Bermuda in December to complete a psychiatric assignment with the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute.

She said: "I've always wanted to be a doctor first and foremost because I really feel like it is a wonderful gift to be able to help people and also to have their confidence in me, to be able to treat them and improve their lives in some small way.

"I feel like I can get truly involved in people's lives. People tell doctor's some things that they can't tell anyone else and that needs to be treated with a lot of respect."

Ms Winstanley expects to graduate in 2008, after five years in the MBBS programme and admits that the time and work involved has been a challenge. "I think the biggest challenge is just persevering because it does take a such a long time and it is just non-stop hard work.

"And even once I finish my medical studies there is always going to be more to learn, more to keep up-to date with, so I think the challenge is just to keep focused and determined on my goals.

"At almost 28 years of age, it has been a long journey... but a thoroughly enjoyable one and I have never wavered from my original goal."