News > Awards Ceremony 2010
Outstanding Achievers Honoured During 2010 Awards Ceremony A South Andros primary school teacher, a university bound English major and two practicing journalists were among the nearly 50 College of The Bahamas graduates who were recognized on Wednesday, May 26th for their exceptional academic performance, diligence and perseverance. Hundreds of family members, friends and supporters of the 2010 Graduating Class' highest achievers packed The College's Performing Arts Centre for the Academic Awards Ceremony, sharing in the pride that the awardees also exhibited. College of The Bahamas alumnus and Head of Mathematics at Queen's College Mrs. Kadian Hanson-Wells urged the group to dream big and set goals for their lives. "Make short and long term goals, make choices that will help see your dreams come alive and don't let people hinder you from seeing your true potential," she said. "For many of you, your dream is being manifested today. You made a conscious effort to set yourself apart from your peers through the challenge of COB. It was your determination, hard work and your drive to succeed that enabled you to be honourees today."  College of The Bahamas President Janyne M. Hodder also celebrated the achievements of the awardees, but in a sobering reflection, she noted that higher education is an opportunity still only available to too few. "I hope that you also take from this week of celebration a deep devotion to duty, service and leadership. You have earned the right to be proud of what you've accomplished," she said. "But remember always the debt of gratitude you owe to those who have supported you along the way – the web of family and friends, committed faculty and staff and others that have pushed you and helped you to realize the absolute best in yourselves; people who want nothing less than to see you succeed in all that you've set out to do." The high achievers in the 2010 Graduating Class were impressive in their performance Delia Ferguson, an accomplished member of the President's Scholars Programme, who graduated with a BA in History was awarded the President's Award for her academic distinction, leadership, high personal character and commitment to community service and extra-curricular activities while exceeding a 3.50 cumulative GPA. Delia also received The College of The Bahamas Alumni Association and President's Scholars Programme awards and received three additional honnours from the School of Social Sciences.  For Ava Turnquest, the School of Communication & Creative Arts Award for Academic Excellence she received paled in comparison to the honour she felt accepting it while her young son cheered her on from the crowd. "For me," she said, "this award is the culmination of all my hard work at COB and it sums up well my COB experience. I'm proud to have been honoured in this way." Olivia King, Bachelor of Education Primary Certification Award winner said, "It felt great to win this award and it let me know that my hard work was not in vain." Olivia had the honour of wearing the Distinction Cord, a gold cord worn by students who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.51 and above. The Cat Island native has already begun her career and is teaching at a school in South Andros. School of English Studies awardees and friends, Chakara Bennet and Ana-Alicia Burrows were equally proud of their honours. Ana-Alicia won both the School of English Studies Award for Academic Excellence and the Bachelor of Arts in English Award. "I'm happy I won these awards and it feels good," she said. "I worked really hard and now I feel confident as I head off to grad school. The faculty in English Studies really pushed me to do my best, so I feel that I have earned these awards for them too." Ana-Alicia heads to Kingston University in England for further studies. Chakara Bennet, a reporter at the Nassau Guardian, added, "I was surprised, but happy that I got this award. For me, this is the best way to say thanks to my mummy who has supported me through this degree and is here today to continue her love and support." The mark of excellence that the graduates have already attained will serve them well as they write new chapters in their lives. Their commitment and discipline are essential building blocks for a focused, purposeful and driven life; tools that will help to make their dreams come true. 
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