Students receive help just in time to support new school year

For Jodean Henry, the journey from high school to university was clouded by uncertainty. The William Knibb Memorial High School student knew she wanted to move forward but, like many young Jamaicans, the question of how to fund that dream weighed heavily.

There was one evening, she recalled, when the pressure became overwhelming. “I genuinely felt like I was going backwards,” Henry shared. “I sat down, I prayed, I was crying, and I made a [social media] post saying I didn’t know where I was going to get the money from.” Minutes later, her teacher called. “She said, ‘You got it,’” Henry said, reflecting on the moment she learnt she had been selected as a recipient of WATA’s Hydrate to Educate grant. “I cannot put how excited I was into words. Even right now, I’m like, wow, I’m really here.”

Henry was among the student awardees recognised at the WATA Hydrate to Educate Awards Luncheon, held at the S Hotel in Montego Bay on Wednesday, August 26. The luncheon celebrated students and schools from western Jamaica as part of WATA’s wider education support initiative, which provides grants to help students offset school-related expenses and assist schools with improving learning environments.