Thirteen of Bermuda’s brightest students, who are attending university abroad, and who plan to pursue careers in insurance, were presented with scholarships at a reception hosted by Alterra , on Thursday July 15 ,2010. The Bermuda Foundation for Insurance Studies (BFIS) awarded scholarships ranging from $30,000 a year for 4 years, to $10,000 a year for 2 years, with the combined total value of the awards being $530,000. This year in addition to all the undergraduate awards, BFIS also presented for the first time, awards for postgraduate studies.

On hand to congratulate the students was the Minister of Education, the Hon. Elvin James, as well as over sixty guests including the Shadow Minister of Education, Grant Gibbons, insurance industry leaders, BFIS Trustees, BFIS graduates and, of course, the students’ families.

BFIS Scholarship Committee Chairman, Gino Smith said, “This year applications for our scholarships increased for the third year running by some 30 per cent, with 98 students applying. The caliber was very high this year and the committee found it very gratifying to know that our small community has so many gifted and bright students. The process for choosing who to award scholarships to is never easy, but in the end it comes down to academic ability, extra curricular activities, community involvement and enthusiasm to succeed. “ Michael Fisher, BFIS Chairman said, “Since 1996, BFIS has awarded $3.65 million to over one hundred students. None of this would be possible without the generosity of our pledged members and donors. It is that financial support, coupled with the generous donation of time and effort, by our Board of Trustees and Committee members that allow us to continue assisting young Bermudian’s to pursue an education and fulfill their dream of finding a challenging career back home in Bermuda. It is particularly rewarding to BFIS and the Trustees to see some of our past scholarship recipients, like Gino Smith and Stephen Jones, actively participating in the review and scholarship recipient selection process!