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Acting Governor General, Sir Philip Greaves (right), congratulating 22-year-old Trinidadian Mandela Patrick on his accomplishment of winning the 2018 Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship.

New Rhodes scholar named

A Trinidadian is the winner of the 2018 Commonwealth Caribbean Rhodes Scholarship.

Yesterday, Acting Governor General Sir Philip Greaves announced, at Government House, that 22-year-old Mandela Patrick emerged as the winner out of the nine candidates who applied for the scholarship to study at Oxford University, United Kingdom.

Patrick will spend two years completing a Masters in Computer Science and a Masters in Statistics, starting October 2018.

Three Barbadians; one boy and two girls, all Harrison College graduates, were among the nine shortlisted and interviewed by the selection panel this year.

Speaking to reporters shortly after receiving the good news from Sir Philip, Patrick described the application process as long, but rewarding.

The squash player said balancing athletics and his Computer Science studies at Harvard University is often a tough task to accomplish, however, he revealed that a combination of time management and dedication always paves the way for him to get the job done.

“It is all about hard work. You got to set your goal and you got to do whatever it takes to get that goal. I have been dreaming about this for the longest while and when I got into Harvard I was really putting in the work.

“Everything I have done is extremely important. I wish my mom and dad was here right now, because they have done so much for me,” he said, as he advised young people to push for academic excellence.

What are Patrick’s plans for the future? The young man who has an impressive curriculum vitae said he is interested in transforming the Caribbean through technology.
Dario Clarke, Nia Brathwaite, and Dominique Lovell were the Barbadians shortlisted to be interviewed for the scholarship this year.

St. Lucian Zia Barnard, Bahamian Toby McCarroll, Trinidadian Kirin Rambaran, Antiguan Tara Spencer, and Dominican Sapphire Vital, were the others shortlisted. (AH)

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