Nine Bahamians have been awarded scholarships to study in China by The Government of the People’s Republic of China.

Nine Bahamians received scholarships to study in China at a ceremony at the Immigration department on August 15, 2012. From left: Lynn Gibson, Master’s degree, Public Administration in Chinese Governance; Sanay Collie, Bachelor’s degree, Finance; Betty Vedrine, Master’s degree, International Communication; Robert McKenzie, Master’s degree, International Trade; Zhai Xingfu, Counsellor, Chinese Embassy, Bahamas; Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; Prince Moss, Master’s degree, Educational Leadership & Policy; Hu Shan, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas; Rasheed Robinson, Bachelor’s degree, Clinical Medicine; Daron Beneby, Master’s degree, International Trade; Philip Miller, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; and Kathryn Campbell, Master’s degree, International Communication. (BIS Photo/Kris Ingraham)

During a scholarship awards ceremony August 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell urged the students to be good ambassadors for the country.

“We expect that you will ably represent The Bahamas while in China and portray all that is good about our Bahamas, its people, its culture and its tradition,” Mitchell said at the ceremony in the Immigration Department.

Also present were Hu Shan, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to The Bahamas and officials from both governments and family members of the awardees.

Congratulating the students, Mitchell said: “This group represents the broad spectrum of talent and the ever-growing potential of our people. These persons are an inspiration, choosing as they have, to study in a country vastly different from their own and to learn another language.”

From left: Betty Vedrine, Information Officer at Bahamas Information Services who will study for a Master’s degree in International Communication; Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; Hu Shan, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas. Far right is Philip Miller, permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration. (BIS Photo/Kris Ingraham)

To date, 37 Bahamians have received full scholarships through the programme sponsored by the People’s Republic of China, bringing the total to 46.

The scholarship programme is in keeping with diplomatic relations established between The Bahamas and China in May 1997.

From left: Kathryn Campbell, information officer at Bahamas Information Services who will study for a Master’s degree in International Communication; Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; Hu Shan, Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas. Far right is Philip Miller, permanent secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration. (BIS Photo/Kris Ingraham)

“I know that you will be good ambassadors for our country. Take full advantage of this opportunity to learn all that you can; become fluent in the Chinese language; it is the language of the fastest growing economy in the world. Strive for excellence in all that you do,” added Mitchell.