The 2024-2025 Scholarship application is now closed
Learning THEIR stories is to influence their future. (click on each student for a brief bio.)
Get to know our scholars...
Shwayne McDermott
Michael-Andre Edwards
Nicholie Barclay
Ajani Murphy
Ruth Lewis
Ithran Softley
Keelan Smith
Tirunesh Johnson
Naveah Dawkins
Keeshawn Yorke
Akira Graham
Mattheau Thaxter
Daneille Noble
Imani Wint
Yukika Harris
Iorek Givans
Shameika Dennis
Matthew Lambert
Rickado Mundle
Abigail Lemard
Take a look at our 2024-2025 Pocket Rocket 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.
2024-2025 Pocket Rocket Scholars
Minimizing economic hardship so students can focus on school
Age: 18 years old
Grade Level: Upper 6th
Hobbies: Singing, Playing Volleyball, Worship and Praising Jesus and Surfing the internet
Personal long term goal: To become the #1 Leading Orthopaedic Surgeon in the Caribbean and leading Jamaica in innovative Spinal Corrective Surgery
Accomplishments:
The recipient of the John Beattie Award For Most outstanding student who has achieved all-round excellence in: *Sports *Service to Community *Leadership *Character *Scholarship *Reliability
Came 4th in our Zone in the ISSA U-19 Volleyball Competition
Currently a Senior Prefect, Dorm Prefect, and Honour Roll Student Hobbies
Science Club Award In Recognition of Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to the Knox College Science Club
Volleyball (Captain) Setter/Libero
Member of the UNESCO CLUB , the Red Cross Society and the Knox College Choir
SHWAYNE MCDERMOTT | KNOX COLLEGE| Sport- VOLLEYBALL
Age: 16 years old
Grade Level: Lower 6th
Hobbies: Gaming (Xbox)
Personal long term goal:
To become a successful professional athlete as well as a successful entrepreneur. Retire my parents before they can do it themselves.
Other accomplishments:
● I have a 100% win rate in champs long jump finals (3 in a row)
● I've given max points in all events except 1 (where i finished 2nd to my teammate)
● My average has always been around the 85+ mark throughout high school
● the highest being 89.5 for the year 2022/2023
● I’ve represented Jamaica once at age 15 at the NACAC u18 championships (finished 4th in long jump)
Michael-Andre Edwards | Jamaica College | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 17
Grade Level: Lower 6th
Hobbies: Reading, watching tech reviews, playing sports (volleyball, football, table tennis)
Personal long term goal:
To become an outstanding cyber security expert for the FBI
Other accomplishments:
•Deputy Head Boy for the year 2023-2024
•11 C.S.E.C subjects- 2 in grade 10 and 9 in grade 11
•S.D.F. Boy of the Camp in 2022 at MVP Grassroots Training Camp
Ajani Murphy | Guy’s Hill High school | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 15 years old
Grade level: 5th form
Hobbies: Dancing, volunteering
Personal long term goal:
To become a Physiotherapist
Other accomplishments:
● I have been awarded a citizenship trophy at my prize giving
● I was also awarded sportswoman of the year at my prize giving
● I was also given a trophy for being the Most valuable player on my team
Ruth Lewis | Belair High school | Sport- Football and netball
Age: 16
Grade Level: 4th Form
Hobbies: Crocheting and writing
Personal long term goal:
To become a real estate agent, social worker or athlete
Other accomplishments:
● Made the 200m semi finals at champs and the finals at Corporate Area champs.
Keelan Smith | Holy Childhood High school | Sport- Track and Field (200m / 400m)
Age: 13 years old
Grade Level: 3rd Form
Hobbies: Baking, Track and Field, Spending time with my friends and family, Reading, and Learning to play an instrument
Personal long term goal:
A personal long term goal of mine is to do exceptionally well in my external examinations as well as track and field and to earn a scholarship to further my education and track and field ambitions of representing my country.
Other accomplishments:
● I have not added any other accomplishments to my resume but that will change soon as the school year progresses.
Tirunesh Johnson | St. Mary High School | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 16
Grade Level: 5th form
Hobbies: netball, listening to music, dancing ,watching football, watching formula 1, french, shopping, trying new things
Personal long term goal:
Become a permanent academic weapon as well as an astounding Netballer.
Other accomplishments:
● I have accumulated 3 consecutive 1st honours in my first year of high school.
● I was top girl in PEP for my past school in my graduating year
●I have learned to balance all my different activities and separate them from my academic life.
● Apart from my academics and sports I am learning how to code and is part of the Girl's coding club in my school to promote girls in STEM.
Nevaeh Dawkins | Campion College | Sport- netBALL
Age: 15 years old
Grade Level: 4th Form
Hobbies: Playing Football, VideoGaming, Long walks
Personal long term goal:
My Personal long-term goal is to run sub 10 by the age of 19
Other accomplishments:
● My only achievement is getting the 3rd place medal at central champs in a relay
Keeshawn Yorke | York Castle High school | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 16 years old
Grade Level: 5th Form
Hobbies: Trying new recipes and online collaging
Personal long term goal:
To create a safe environment for animals and persons in need.
Other accomplishments:
● I have received my school's certificate of good citizenship on multiple occasions.
Akira Graham | St. Andrew High School For Girls | Sport- Track and field
Age: 13 years old
Grade Level: 2nd form
Hobbies: Playing computer games, Reading, Watching TV
Personal long term goal:
I want to become an entrepreneur in the field of Science.
Other accomplishments:
● Being awarded the top first form student at Wolmer's Boys
● Winning an inter-form debating competition
● Receiving an outstanding badge for getting an over 90% average
● Earning an Upper tier blue report for each term in first form
Mattheau Thaxter | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Boys | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 17 years old
Grade Level: Lower Sixth
Hobbies: My hobbies include reading, baking and trying anything new, as I enjoy exploring activities I have never
done before.
Personal long term goal:
At the moment, I am not 100% certain about my long term goal, but I am deciding between two paths : Forensic psychology or pursuing a career as a professional athlete.
Other accomplishments:
● I was recently elected as the team captain for the track and field team.
● Additionally I serve as the vice form captain for my form room
● I recently joined the speech and drama club at my school.
Daneille Noble | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls | Sport- Track and Field
Age: 18
Grade level: Upper 6th Form
Hobbies: I love spending quality time with friends and family, but I also appreciate moments of solitude where I can listen to music and reflect. I enjoy getting lost in movies and TV shows, especially those that challenge my perspective or tell compelling stories.
Personal long term goal:
My personal long-term goal is to graduate from medical school, become a well-established medical doctor, and eventually open my own hospital/health clinic.
Other accomplishments:
● In 2018, I became the youngest player on the national volleyball team.
● As an outside hitter, I helped lead my school's volleyball team to a third-place finish last year and a second-place finish this year.
● I was recognized as the top chemistry and physics student for my CSEC examinations at school.
● I earned a place on the CSEC merit list for Biology and French last year.
● I am currently serving as a senior prefect for this academic year.
Imani Wint | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls | Sport- VOLLEYBALL
Age: 12 years old
Grade level: 2nd Form
Hobbies: Art, reading books
Personal long term goal:
To beat my sisters at track and field.
Other accomplishments:
I came first in my class for the academic year 2023-2024. I also ran a P.B of 11.95 seconds in the 70m hurdles.
Yukika Harris (Mary) | St. Elizabeth Technical High School | Sport- track and field (Hurdles)
Age: 16
Grade level: Lower 6th
Hobbies: Playing Basketball, Watch Movies, Spending time
with friends
Personal long term goal:
To be successful as a future entrepreneur and to continue working on my personal growth so I can give the best representation of myself as an individual and as a leader.
Other accomplishments:
Moving up from Sub-Prefect to Prefect.
Matthew Lambert | KNOX COLLEGE | Sport- Basketball
Age: 12
Grade level: 2nd Form
Hobbies: playing chess, drawing, doing community service at Hope Gardens on a Sunday and learning coding and robotics
Personal long term goal:
To become an Illustrator, architect, app developer, game developer
Other accomplishments:
● I did over 50 hours of community service at Hope Gardens last year
● and also won the 1st form Literature Quiz competition with some of my classmates last year.
Rickado Mundle | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For Boys | Sport- Table Tennis
Age: 16
Grade level: 5th Form
Hobbies: Playing steel pan & coding
Personal long term goal:
To pursue a degree in engineering and computer science as well as make the national field hockey team
Other accomplishments:
● Vice captain for u16 team 2024 placed 2nd, u19 team placed 3rd 2024
● Honours class student
● Began completing CSEC subjects at the 3rd form level
● has 4 CSEC passes with ones in principles of business & Electronic document preparation management alongside a 4th regional placement in Electronic document preparation management and a straight A profile and twos in principles of accounts and economics.
● 2x recipient of the John Wolmer award and 5x recipient of the highly proficient academic certificate. Participant of Jamcoders and Investeen summer programs.
● Made the 2024 All-star team
● Member of the Teens for Technology Club
Abigail Lemard | The Wolmer’s Trust High School For girls | Sport- Field Hockey
"I promise to be and become extraordinary...
Because a promise to myself is a promise for the future."
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48 girls. 45 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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