Besides being named for one of the world’s greatest footballers, 12-year-old Zydan Brown has made his own claim to fame as a scholar and high achiever. The former student of the Papine-based St. Martin De Porres Primary School is among eight recipients of the Access Financial Services PEP Award for 2024. The microlender staged its sixth consecutive annual awards ceremony on Tuesday, August 20, to recognise the achievements of the children of staff who performed well at this year’s sitting of the Primary Exit Profile exams.
For Zydan’s mom, Chantelle Grant, it was a proud moment and an indication of what’s in store for her young and very determined achiever.
“Zydan has always been a good student. He knows what he wants, and he works hard. He told me that he will be the head boy at Mona High School, and I believe that he will do it. He wants to be an architect and a soldier, and I believe he will achieve those goals as well. My job is just to support him, and I am fully on board. As one of the speakers said earlier, as a mother, when your child is doing PEP, you are also doing PEP, so support is something that we’re committed to providing for our children,” said Grant.
12-year-old Zydan Brown collects his certificate and a cheque for $30,000 from Access Financial CEO Hugh Campbell at the company’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Awards ceremony on August 20.
A member of the HR team, the mother of two says she is super grateful for the recognition for Zydan and the $30,000 cash grant which came with it.
“Both of my children will be in high school as of September and so any assistance we get is greatly appreciated. The money will help to offset some of their back-to-school expenses, but we were also happy for the motivational talk the children got today as well,” Grant added, referencing to the compelling stories shared by senior staffers at Access Financial from their own high school days.
Job well done! Access Financial Services (AFS) senior executives share lens time with recipients of this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Awards and grant recipients under the company’s education assistance programme.
Branch supervisor Michelle Campbell-Ellington urged the awardees to “cultivate a curious mind and never stop learning”. Campbell-Ellington was one of three speakers who encouraged the students to stay focused, work hard, set goals and enjoy the journey.
“This year we did things a little different. We felt it would be good to hear a few of our employees share their own stories of triumph over adversity. The feedback was very positive. From a business standpoint, we have made a commitment to our employees that as long as our company remains profitable, we will continue to support them through the Education Assistance Programme, which we’ve been doing now for six years. This year, in addition to grants for PEP achievers, we also awarded a tertiary grant to the son of an employee, who’s heading to UTECH,” CEO Hugh Campbell.
One employee enrolled in a tertiary programme also received a 50 per centtuition refund. Since 2018, the micro finance entity has issued more than $5 million in cash grants under its education assistance initiative, benefitting more than 35 employees and their children.
“We believe that when our people thrive, we also thrive, and we know what a stressful time back-to-school can be for parents. Our academic grants and scholarships also send a message of the value we as a company place on education. Investing in the education of our employees and their children will redound to not just the good of the company, but the country as well. It’s also great to see the young people doing well. We have watched several of them grow and excel over the years. Our very first top achiever from 2019 listed on the plaque, Miya-Olivia Brown is in attendance today and we are all so proud of her accomplishments,” added Campbell.
Now heading to the upper sixth form at Mannings High School after acing four unit one subjects in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), Brown is on track to pursuing her goal of a first degree in Psychology at the University of the West Indies.
