WILMER JOEL
A student from Delap Seventh Day Adventist School was selected for a United World College scholarship in Singapore.
Bremrose Grace Lakjohn, 16, daughter of medical practitioners Bremity and Kenye Mike, is the first student from SDA to be selected for the scholarship in the over 10 years that Marshallese high school students have been eligible for the UWC program. She is the sixth child and the youngest in the family. Bremose was born in Guam and arrived in the RMI at the age of three.
She is from the Kapin Meto Islands (Ujae, Lae, Wotho) and has Kosraean ancestry. Her hobbies included volleyball and hanging out with friends. Her capacity for causing others to laugh and have a good time was among the things she finds interesting about herself. She competed in a variety of academic contests, including debates and science fairs for her school.
Bremrose served as class president in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades. She also took part in the two-week Japan exchange program. She said her confidence was boosted by taking part in all of these activities on behalf of her school.
She discovered the UWC scholarship through her sister, Bertine Lakjohn, an alumni of UWC who went to Japan from Majuro Cooperative High School.
Bremrose asserts that her distinctive way of thinking and her ability to get work done in a timely fashion are what set her apart from the other students at her school. She has unique ideas that mesh well with those of her classmates and yield positive outcomes in class assignments and academic work. Her main difficulty, she claimed, is arriving at school on time.
Bremrose expressed to the Journal her gratitude for being given the chance to further her education in Singapore. “It brings me great pride to know that I’m the first from SDA,” she said. “Because before, we didn’t know about the (UWC) scholarships. (With) me being picked as one of the representatives, it will be a great chance for SDA to see more opportunities.”
She praised the great experience she had on the day of the selection, engaging with students from different public and private schools and debating, presenting, and discussing important issues affecting the Marshall Islands. In one of the sessions, Bremrose said she used her listening skills to piece together ideas from other participants on teen pregnancy that impressed the RMI UWC Committee and solidified her position in the scholarship.
She wants to earn a medical degree after graduation, just like her parents. She wants to go as far as getting a doctorate degree and returning to her country. Bremrose sees her father as her hero. “I see him as a respectful man,” she said. “I like how he thinks and handles things.”
She is looking forward to developing her interpersonal relationships with different students and her communication skills. Her advice to students is “don’t be scared when opportunity presents itself — just go for it.”
She is scheduled to depart for Singapore August 8 to attend UWC South East Asia.
UWC scholarships have been available in the Marshall Islands since 2012.
The United World College National Committee of the Marshall Islands is the link between the RMI and the UWC’s global network of 18 international schools.
UWC offers two-year scholarships for high school students around the world to complete an international baccalaureate diploma. The scholarships offered by UWC are “needs-based,” meaning the level of scholarship depends on the financial status of the family of the student who is nominated for a scholarship. Most of the scholarships provided to Marshallese students have been full or nearly full ride offers.
Generally, the UWC offers the Marshall Islands UWC National Committee one or two scholarships each year, although last year three scholarships were provided for the two-year program.
The UWC National Committee announces the scholarship opportunity usually in the September-October period each year, and often conducts outreach to local schools to talk to 10th grade students about the program. The National Committee looks for a combination of academic ability and leadership qualities in students to nominate for the UWC program.
The UWC states that it “is a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. At UWC, we inspire young people to put their talents and energy into social change, no matter which future path they choose. We select promising, passionate students from all over the world, and give them the knowledge, skills and confidence to make a difference.”
To date, nearly 20 Marshallese students have studied or are studying at UWC schools. UWC schools that have provided scholarships to Marshallese students are in Canada, Germany, United States, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Wales in the UK. Currently, the RMI has two students, Lulu Emil and Alsina Thomas, who are about to start their second year in UWC schools in Japan and Hong Kong, respectively. Both are former Laura High School students.
For more information: uwc.org, or www.facebook.com/unitedworldcollegemarshallislands