Law firm awards scholarships to six local students

CNS Editor | 09/10/2015

(L-R) Scholarship recipients Hailee Robinson, Ciara Henry and Louis Solomon; and Paul Lumsden of Maples and Calder (not pictured: Andrea Bodden, Loshana Lopez-Francis and Duane Thompson)

(CNS): Maples and Calder has granted scholarships to six young Caymanians, pursuing both legal and non-legal degrees at varying levels. The students are Ciara Henry, Hailee Robinson, Louis Solomon, Andrea Bodden, Loshana Lopez-Francis and Duane Thompson.

Paul Lumsden, managing partner of Maples and Calder’s Cayman office, said, “The recipients of this year’s scholarships have exhibited qualities that would attract top employers in the Cayman Islands and abroad.

“We are proud to support this next generation of young Caymanians in furthering their education, and we wish them every success in their studies.”

The firm’s scholarships are offered on an annual basis and are available to appropriately qualified Caymanians who wish to pursue degrees at a recognised college or university.

Henry will be studying at the University of Essex toward a bachelor of laws degree, inclusive of a professional placement. She is a member of the National Women’s Rugby Team, representing the Cayman Islands at the 2014 CAC and NACRA games. Henry is also a silver and bronze Duke of Edinburgh award recipient, an alumnus of the Global Young Leaders Conference and was a student council member.

Attending the University of Bristol, Robinson will be studying for a master’s degree in law, having previously achieved dual degrees in international development and anthropology from McGill University in Canada. She was a member of the Antilles Netball Club and the Quebec Provincial Netball Team during her time at McGill. She was also recognised back in Cayman as a recipient of the Proud of Them Award for Community Service in 2013.

Solomon will be studying at the University of Kent for his bachelor’s degree in law and philosophy. With a diverse set of interests, he won a gold award at the 2012 National Children’s Festival of the Arts, attained a Level Seven Trinity Music for Piano Performance Qualification and is active in taekwondo and muay thai.

Bodden has been accepted to the Florida Institute of Technology, where she will pursue a bachelor of science degree in pre-medical biochemistry with a chemistry emphasis. She was a Key Club member, student council officer and Science Technology Engineering Math ambassador. A talented artist, Andrea has been featured in the National Art Gallery’s Art Through the Eyes exhibition and the 2015 NCVO Cayman Watercolour calendar.

Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Sheffield, while in school in Cayman, Lopez-Francis was head girl, a peer counsellor, president of the Alpha Leo Club and head of the student council. Her extracurricular activities included co-hosting the YouthFlex show on Radio Cayman and sitting as a member of the Youth Parliament. She is also a recipient of the 2014 Proud of Them award.

Thompson will be studying at the University of Cambridge towards an undergraduate degree in law and theology & religious studies. His passion for his major grew from his travels abroad, where, while volunteering, he immersed himself in the different cultures of several countries.