A Bermudian medical student aspiring to become a doctor but struggling to pay for her tuition is now able to continue studying — thanks to help from the Hamilton Rotary Club.

After providing $10,000, the organisation is asking for others who finished their education courtesy of Rotary loans to do their best to pay it back — so that others can get the help they need.

Kiandra Simons, 23, showed promise as a student, but shared her story with The Royal Gazette last September after growing concerned about her ability to cover medical studies.

She attends the University of the West Indies (UWI) campus in Trinidad and Tobago. The former Berkeley Institute valedictorian had difficulties proving her good academic performance, in part due to UWI’s unusual grading system. The Bermuda Government’s reduced funding also meant that Government scholarships could not meet the shortfall.

Enter Hamilton Rotary Club, whose student loan chairman George Cook said the decision to help ultimately proved easy.

“We take a community action approach — we feel it should be beneficial to the community, as well as following an axiom of the Rotary, which is that it should be fair to all concerned,” Mr Cook explained.

Qualifying students need to show the grades and dedication, as well as demonstrating that they have tried to use all the available educational opportunities and forms of financial assistance in Bermuda.

Thanks to their help, according to her mother Kim Simons, Kiandra is coming towards the final stretch of her five-year medical studies at UWI.

“She’s doing very well — she just passed internal medicine,” Mrs Simons said, adding that Kiandra’s interests now lie in palliative care.

Her daughter remains as determined as ever to come back to Bermuda after getting through her internships.

“Thankfully, this is the first loan that I have gone for,” Mrs Simons said.

“I have unfortunately had to draw from my pension.”

Mr Cook said Rotarians didn’t like to see students falling into debt, and the loans offered by the group are interest free.

“There is a growing sentiment, expressed by many, that the aid students are looking for these days is significantly more than they used to,” he said.

“What we are aiming to do in circumstances like this is provide a grant as well as a loan.

“However, our resources depend very much upon those people to whom we have paid loans paying it back.

“There is still a significant amount out there, and I would like to take this opportunity to say to the people we have assisted, who are now in full employment, that there are others out there who need help. We rely on their sense of community spirit.”

Mr Cook knows all too well, having been the recipient of a Rotary loan back in 1957.

Approaching 70 years in existence, the programme has assisted hundreds to the tune of more than a quarter of a million dollars, and since 2000 it has paid out more than $160,000 — all toward education.

Since Kiandra’s situation and academic standing qualified, Hamilton Rotary was able to pull together $5,000 as a loan, and board members rallied to provide Kiandra with an additional $5,000 as a grant.

Rotarians view the student loans as a fund of last resort, Mr Cook continued — and with so many other students in need, its ability to help others now depends on past recipients repaying the favour.

In Kiandra’s case, the club was lucky to have some money on hand to respond.

“We don’t have much right now — we’ve given it all away,” he said. “But if people out there who have received a loan see this message now, we would be very grateful if they could get in touch with me.”

To help with Hamilton Rotary Club’s student loan fund, e-mail Mr Cook at gjpcook@logic.bm.