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BizBuzz Scholarships help Cayman pair realize educational goals.
Cayman Islands natives Marzeta Bodden and Christopher Glasgow knew that leaving their beloved homeland to study business would do much to help advance their careers. Both faced the decision with excitement and a little anxiety. What would it be like to live in Miami? How would it feel to leave their families? Perhaps most importantly, they wondered how they were going to pay for tuition and expenses while living away from home. Then each got a pleasant surprise that essentially rendered the last question moot. Generous award recognizes Bodden’s excellence and eases her transition. Bodden, recipient of the Butterfield Bank Undergraduate Scholarship entitling her to as much as $40,000 per year toward her bachelor’s degree, recalls how she felt upon learning that she’d received the award. “To say that I was elated is an understatement,” Bodden said. “The scholarship made it possible for me to attend the school of my choice, one of the best in the United States. The university contributes so much to the economy of South Florida, in addition to enriching the educational and cultural lives of those who study and work here. To attend a school with so much going for it, and so many other great things to come in the future, is exciting.”
Bodden exemplifies everything Butterfield looks for in a scholarship recipient. She has an outstanding academic record, having graduated with honors from John Gray High School in 2002. She successfully earned her associate of arts degree in accounting from the Community College of the Cayman Islands, now the University College of the Cayman Islands, in 2004. She is a co-founder of Cayman Loves Children, an organization that provides financial support to programs that deliver nutritional and health services to poor children around the world. The organization channels 100 percent of its donations to UNICEF (any overhead and expenses are paid by organization members), and Bodden personally has hand-carried checks to UNICEF’s New York offices. She speaks with conviction about the social inequities her organization seeks to alleviate. “By giving comparatively little, people can make a big difference in the lives of others,” Bodden said. “Seven cents can buy crayons for a class, $1 can immunize a child against polio, $10 can buy biscuits for a month for three kids, and $150 can provide clean water for a whole village. Making a donation to our cause is an easy way to help fight the deadly effects of global poverty, especially as they affect children.” The junior business student currently is enrolled in the college as a marketing major and soon will add a finance major. She is very interested in travel and tourism, but as a self-described “foodie,” she recently has given thought to what it might be like to enter the culinary field. “I’ve been gaining insights from fellow students who are hospitality majors,” Bodden said. “I figure I can learn a lot from people who attend one of the nation’s top schools for their field of study.” She also sees graduate study in her future, quite possibly in the college. “What’s better than learning from the best?” she said. KPMG backs employee’s educational pursuits. That’s one of the reasons fellow Caymanian and accounting major Christopher Glasgow also has come stateside to study. “A school with a reputation like Florida International University’s opens so many doors back home,” he said. “In general, there are more educational opportunities in the United States and greater exposure to other aspects of accounting; that makes a big difference in your value to a company and your ability to rise in the ranks.” Thanks in large part to the support he’s received from his employer, KPMG, Glasgow is able to focus more on his studies and worry less about finances. As the 2006 recipient of the KPMG International Scholarship, Glasgow is entitled to as much as $20,000 a year for tuition and living expenses associated with his studies. The scholarship has made the difference between a narrow set of career options and a future of wide-open professional opportunities. It also means that he has a job to return to at KPMG, in whatever area of the company he chooses and with a degree that will help put him on the fast track to more-senior positions. Glasgow went to work for KPMG after he earned his associate of arts degree in accounting from the Community College of the Cayman Islands. He learned about the scholarship when he joined the company, describing KPMG as well known throughout the islands for its strong commitment to employee development. He worked for a year doing statutory reviews of audit files, which meant organizing client documents and certificates in preparation for audits. The work was interesting, but Glasgow quickly realized that, to be upwardly mobile in the company, he needed to further his education. He recalls watching co-workers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees, many from the university, moving up in the organization, and it motivated him to apply. “So many of my co-workers encouraged me to attend the school, and when I saw where it got them, I decided to go,” he said. Glasgow expands horizons by embracing change. Glasgow applied for the scholarship, and when he learned that it was his, he knew his world was about to change. It would be his first time living abroad and with people from many other places. “I am meeting students from all over the world,” Glasgow said. “And it has really shaped the way I learn—the discussions we have in our classes and my understanding of global issues.” He said his courses are “pretty vigorous” and that he would expect nothing less from a school with a reputation like the university’s. He adds that he can “see the quality” of the program in the dedication of professors and in the determination of the students. Glasgow already is thinking about getting his graduate degree in accounting before heading back home to the Cayman Islands, in part because he wants to sit for the CPA exam, but also because he’s finding the academic rigor and social environment of the school to be very satisfying. When the time comes, he said he’ll be happy to return to KPMG and give back to a company that has invested so deeply in his educational dreams and in his desire to grow as a professional. “KPMG has shown me what it will take to achieve my goals and is helping me get there,” Glasgow said. For more information about scholarships available to undergraduates, visit http://business.fiu.edu/landon/scholarships.cfm. For more information on graduate scholarships, visit http://business.fiu.edu/chapman/graduate_scholarships.cfm. |
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