Streme Cha
Tshani Armstrong
Jordayne Grant
Joel Lamm
Karissa Kelly
Nickayla Russell
Natrece East
Lysandra Taylor
Kendrick McFarlane
Jahiem Jackson
Tyrone Lawson
Get to know our scholars...
The Pocket Rocket Foundation Academic Scholarship is designed to help young athletes succeed in their academics and athletic pursuits. We offer annual scholarships to high school students who represent their school in any sporting discipline. These funds may be used to cover any academic expenses related to tuition, books, travel and lunch. Former recipients have continued to excel at the tertiary level with continued academic and sporting excellence.
Minimizing economic hardship so students can focus on school
2023-2024 Pocket Rocket Scholars
2024-2025 Scholarship Application Opens in August
Learning THEIR stories is to influence their future. (click on each student for a brief bio.)
Take a look at our 2023-2024 Pocket Rocket Scholars:
Fifteen year old Streme plays football and has been on two tours to Europe with the Kingston Football Academy. He was also part of the Campion College Team that won the Under16 Football Competition in 2022. Streme’s long term goal is to compete overseas as a Professional Footballer and enjoys cooking in his spare time.
Streme Cha | CAMPION COLLEGE| Sport- Football
Attends St. Catherine High School, competing in the 100m, 200m and long jump Track & Field events. Tshani enjoys listening to music and playing games. At the 2023 staging of The ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys & Girls Championships she made the Class 4 Girls long jump final, adding points to her school. For the future she aspires to become a professional athlete.
tshani armstrong | st catherine high school | Sport- Track & Field
Is a proud member of The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls Field Hockey Team. She enjoys singing and dancing in the privacy of her own company. With a deep love for children, Jordayne wants to pursue a career as a Pediatric Doctor. She has served as Form Captain, Sub-Prefect, Treasurer and Class Monitor.
Jordayne Grant| wolmers trust High School for girls | Sport- Field hockey
A consistent upper tier honor roll student at The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Boys, Joel represented Jamaica at the CRTTF Championship in Guyana as a member of the National Table Tennis Team earlier this year. Joel is also the Male Champion in the ISSA Urban Under16 Team and the ISSA Urban/Rural Under16 Male Team Playoffs for 2023! Outside of the Table Tennis court, Joel placed first at the UWI Institute of Gender & Development Studies Creative Writing Competition and second in The Monica Sterling Essay Competition in 2021. He enjoys reading, playing football and spending time with his family. Joel has plans to become a Professional Table Tennis Player and Aeronautical Engineer or possibly a Medical Doctor.
Joel Lamm | wolmers trust high school for boys | Sport- Table tennis
A member of both the Tornadoes Swim Club and The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls Swim Team. Karissa loves to read and also enjoys dancing. This year she will be receiving aJohn Wolmer Award in the upper division of the school’s Blue Report Prize Giving Ceremony.Her long term goal includes qualifying for The National Team to participate in the Goodwill and CARIFTA Games.
Karissa kelly | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls | Sport- swim
A student of Holmwood Technical, her sporting discipline is Sprint hurdling. She sees herself as a humble, hardworking, jovial, people-person who enjoys reading, surfing the internet as well as watching educational documentaries. While attending primary school, Nickayla was inspired to pursue Track & Field after watching her older sister training preparations for Track Meets. Since entering high school after sitting her Pep Exit Examinations three years ago, Nickayla embraces the exposure and experience afforded to her as a student athlete under the guidance of her Coach, Mr. Dave Anderson. In the future she would like to pursue her tertiary education to become a Registered Nurse or Professional Athlete.
nickayla russell | holmwood technical | Sport- sprint hurdling
Natrece competes in the 100m and 200m distances and was awarded the Double Sprint Champion for Class 3 Girls in 2022 at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships. She enjoys socializing with friends as well as listening to music. Natrece is keen to complete her high school education, whilst gaining athletic momentum and increased competitiveness to
assist in securing a scholarship to pursue tertiary education.
natrece east | wolmers trust High school for girls | Sport- track &field
Lysandra attends Papine High School, where she competes in Netball. In her spare time she enjoys modeling, singing, dancing and baking. Lysandra’s number one goal is to continue to work hard in school whilst assisting her mother who faces considerable health issues. She lives with both her mother and younger brother and hopes to one day improve their current living conditions. Lysandra sees herself becoming a Professional Netball player or pursuing a career in Design Arts. She will also devote time to assist the less fortunate in her community.
lysandra taylor | papine High school | Sport- netball
Kenrick attends The Excelsior High School where his favorite sport is Cricket and his favorite subject is Mathematics. He enjoys interacting with his best friends and in the future wants to be successful enough to be able to provide for the care of his mother, extended family and future generations.
Kendrick mcfarlane | excelsior High school | Sport- cricket
Attends the noble institution of Knox College and is known for his exceptional dedication and talent. His main sporting discipline is Volleyball but boasts a strong sporting background that includes badminton and basketball, with Chess also a part of his competitive portfolio. During his CXC examinations in May of this year, Jahiem’s mother suffered an unfortunate accident
resulting in her inability to return to work. The only child in a single parent household, he has a very close bond with his mother and believes his continued determination and resilience deems him very capable of excelling academically and in life. He remains very optimistic towards his journey with the hope of becoming a Civil Engineer or Architect.
jahiem jackson | knox college | Sport- volleyball
A student of Jamaica College competing in the 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 3000m and 5000m, Tyrone’s hobbies include reading, watching movies, drawing, listening to music but most importantly running, where he is able to free his mind! Tyrone’s mission is to become the world’s best long distance runner. Ultimately he would like to support future students by creating programs that help them become student athletes in order to have a better chance of being accepted into their college of choice in other countries.
tyrone lawson | jamaica college | Sport- track & field
"I promise to be and become extraordinary...
Because a promise to myself is a promise for the future."
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39 girls. 34 boys.
SPORTING ARENAS
High schools islandwide
○Maintain regular attendance at school
○Satisfactory student conduct
○Play an active role in school
○Maintain a minimum of 60% average in 5 subjects
○Represent the school in at least one (1) sporting activity
○Most recent student ID
○Most recent school report/ certificates
(Failure to submit will result in an incomplete application.)
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD ELIGIBILITY
The Scholarship is available to Jamaican students only. This scholarship is not open to members of the board of the Foundation or their immediate family members.
Application for Scholarships must be submitted by August 5th
Students must:
Additional Required Documentation:
2021-2022
York Shane (St. Jago)
Jasauna Dennis (St. Elizabeth Technical)
Jahiem Wedderburn (Kingston College)
Habiba Harris (St. Elizabeth Technical)
Oshane Blackwood (St. Elizabeth Technical)
Solesha Young (Convent of Mercy)
Samantha Morrison (St. Andrew High School)
Adrian Nethersole (St. Elizabeth Technical)
Past recipients
Combining academics and athletics was not easy but Russell said she could not afford to relax or take any short cuts on her way to her goals. While she said her parents never pressured her into their favorite sport, she said they showed how the sport could open up doors for her. Since starting Rice University in 2016, Russell has been on the President’s Honour Roll (Top 10 per cent GPA) — five out of seven semesters, and the Conference USA-Commissioner’s Academic Medal for three years — 2016, 2017, and 2018..
SUCCESS STORIES
November 6, 2020
Triple Threat: Zinedine Russell dominates as an athlete, engineer, and student
Former Kingston College (KC) track star Jovaine Atkinson is now a commercial pilot and he cannot contain his joy. “I'm ecstatic, filled with euphoria and contentment right now. All the hard work, the stress, the long nights, the studying and the occasional tears all paid off,” said Atkinson.
SUCCESS STORIES
October 17, 2019
Meant to Soar: Jovaine Atkinson's
pilot dream is now a reality
Financial insecurity weighs heavy on students, but with the help of the foundation Brenton used his scholarship to engineer a fresh start. Former Campion College stand-out student and athlete Brenton Bartley believes that scholarships are one piece in the puzzle of what creates a strong foundation for supporting students in their success.
SUCCESS STORIES
september 6, 2019
Keeping the Promise: Brenton Bartley excels from start to finish
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