Rowana-Kay Campbell: First Jamaican to be awarded prestigious Oxford scholarship
FROM ST ANN, Jamaica, to the halls of the prestigious University of Oxford in England, 27-year old Rowana-Kay Campbell is the first Jamaican to be awarded the Oxford-ID Travel Group Foundation Bonham Carter Scholarship. She will be pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Law (Master of Laws), starting this month.
A practising attorney-at-law for four years, having been called to the Jamaican Bar in 2016, Campbell moved to St Lucia and was called to the St Lucian Bar, where she was an associate in the litigation department at one of the country’s premier law firms.
“I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to study at Oxford, one of, if not,the most prestigious university in the world, and I look forward to a wonderful experience at Christ Church,” she said excitedly.
The Oxford-ID Travel Group Foundation Bonham Carter Scholarship is a full scholarship available to residents of select Caribbean countries who are pursuing courses in social sciences. It is jointly funded by The University of Oxford and entrepreneur Maurice Bonham, who is also an alumnus of the university.
Campbell is no stranger to scholarships as she was the 2013-2014 National Housing Trust Employees’ Children Scholarship awardee.
‘I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to study at Oxford, one of, if not,the most prestigious university in the world, and I look forward to a wonderful experience at Christ Church.’
MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION
“This degree is the first step to acquiring the expertise needed to achieve my goals: to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Caribbean and the world,” Campbell shared.
A high achiever, she also graduated from The University of the West Indies, Mona, with first-class honours and was ranked in the top 10 students at the Law Faculty, with a GPA above 3.6.
Internships helped in preparation Campbell, who was a JN Bank Summer intern in 2012, is advising college graduates to participate in internships as this helped her to prepare for and shaped her professional journey positively.
“The JN internship taught me many things; however, the most memorable of these was how to engage with people from different backgrounds, educational levels, and understanding,” Campbell stated.
She recalled informing customers about the documents required to open a bank account, and in speaking with some of them, particularly elderly persons, she realised that they did not understand Standard English.
She added that she would then communicate the point in “patois” so that they could understand.
“This stuck with me as a reminder that no matter how educated I become, I should always be able to communicate with anyone and let them feel comfortable talking to me,” she related.
Ransford Davidson, business relationship and sales Manager at JN Bank, Brown’s Town and St Ann’s Bay, said he enjoyed working with
Campbell and admired her soft skills such as her adaptability, love for people, and the emotional intelligence she directed towards others.
“It was obvious that Rowana-Kay would be a success, and I was by no means surprised by her elevation,” he said.“Her dedication, drive, work ethic, eye for detail, and commitment encapsulated the foundational skills and inuring attitude necessary to propel her success. Not to mention her Christ-centeredness. She consistently displayed sound values and was consistent with her emphasis on her spiritual walk.”