PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Through the Together we can Foundation we started the FBE scholarship last year to support talented students to get higher education, and help them graduate from high school with outstanding scores.
The vision of Battle of The Fittest is not only to bring back the love for basketball, and have basketball in St. Maarten known on an international level, but also to give back to the community in awarding academic excellence. The aim is to assist all Valedictorians of the public schools in the future.
The purpose of this scholarship is to give students, particularly those in the public sector an equal opportunity to succeed. Helping high-ability students with financial need fulfill their potential has significant implications for the social mobility among St. Maarten’s lower-income families.
Once the students enter high school and have the support they need to succeed academically, the financial support and a happy home, will all be contributing factors for students entering or having the ability to enter top colleges and universities. This will help minimize inequality in St. Maarten, contribute to our economic growth as well as a safer country and better chances for our youth.
The longer students stay in school, the less likely they are to get into trouble with the law or otherwise. That’s a repudiation of the society we live in, and Battle of the Fittest is determined to do everything we can to turn that around. However, I also encourage you the parents to contribute to your child’s success. As a parent, there is no better investment than the investment of time for your child. A student’s financial background or lack of parental guidance and support should not be the reason they fail! So let us do this together, do not only depend on Government or Foundations, but remember your child’s success starts at home.
Graduates, I would like to leave you with this, most of the times the people around you, teachers, parents tell you to shoot for the stars, the sky is the limit, well, I tell you to shoot beyond the stars because the sky is not the limit.
In addition to the scholarship, the recipient will also win a laptop and $100 gift certificate from Office World.
