GECCU invests EC$21,000 in members’ futures with seven university bursaries

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From left: Top row: Derica Yorke, Patricia Gordon (collected on behalf of Jelani Brudy), and Zanique Abbott-Roberts. Bottom row: Esther Smith, Aliston Stapleton, and Gailene Daniel. Shemika Barker is missing.

By Admin. Updated 3:31 p.m., Friday, October 30, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Seven members of GECCU Ltd. are a little closer to their academic goals after each received a university bursary valued at EC$3,000 on Thursday.

The awards, totalling EC$21,000, were presented at a ceremony held in the GECCU Conference Room in Kingstown on October 29.

The recipients are Zanique Abbott-Roberts, Shamika Barker, Jelani Brudy, Gailene Daniel, Esther Smith, Aliston Stapleton and Derica Yorke.

GECCU established its University Bursary Programme in 2014 to help members pursue higher education. The credit union says the initiative reflects its guiding principle, “Putting Members First”, and its view of education as a pathway to personal growth, professional development and national advancement.

Chief Executive Officer Maxine Richards-Johnney urged the recipients to see the award as more than financial help. She told them it should be viewed as a vote of confidence in their potential and in what they can achieve.

Another image featuring Sis. Bernisa Roberts – Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee (second from left), Sis. Yolanda Barbour – Vice President of GECCU’s Board of Directors (3rd from left), GECCU’s Chief Executive Officer – Sis. Maxine Richards-Johnney (fourth from left), and GECCU bursary recipients.

To drive home her point, she quoted American statesman Benjamin Franklin: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Remarks were also delivered by Yolande Barbour, Vice President of the GECCU Board of Directors; Chief Education Officer Mavis Findlay-Joseph; and Jimisha Roberts-Daniel, Programme Officer at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus.

Their contributions highlighted the value of education and the role partnerships play in opening doors for students.

Aliston Stapleton spoke on behalf of the recipients. He thanked GECCU for its continued support and its investment in the educational development of its members, noting how much the bursary programme means to students working towards their academic goals.

GECCU Ltd. congratulated all seven recipients and wished them success as they continue their studies.