Bowen and Bowen Awards Scholarships to 16 Employees’ Children

Sixteen-year-old Kyra Santos was at home when her mother called her from work with news that changed her plans for the next several years. Within seconds, she was crying. “My mom was at work and she called me and she said, ‘I have to tell you something.’ And I said okay, and she told me, and I started screaming and I started crying.”

Santos is one of sixteen children of Bowen and Bowen employees who received scholarships from the company this weekend, part of a programme that has now funnelled more than one million dollars into education over the past twelve years, covering tuition, books, and school fees for recipients moving into secondary, tertiary, and vocational studies.

For CEO Michael Bowen, the number isn’t the point. The reasoning behind it is. “We’re all part of a community, whether you’re inside Bowen & Bowen or just inside Belize. And we all have to support each other, but we all have to invest in Belize. And education is a great resource to do that. It gives you this opportunity to learn and question and ask good questions. It creates choice. Choice of your career, choice of where you work, and choices overall.”

To qualify, a student has to be the child of a Bowen and Bowen employee and show strong academic potential, but the company also expects something from the family: an application demonstrating real commitment to the student’s education. Recipients aren’t just handed a cheque either; they’re paired with mentors through the company’s human resources team for ongoing support.

Full story tonight on News 5 Live at six o’clock.