‘One of the biggest things that has happened to me’
Marcia Erskine scholarship winner elated and honoured at COJO ceremony
Published:Friday | May 17, 2024 | 12:12 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
When Rayon Davis was, on Wednesday, announced as the recipient of the inaugural Marcia Erskine Scholarship, valued at US$5,000, he was dumbstruck.
Davis, a former ward of the State, did not know the measure of the recently deceased media and public relations practitioner and former journalist in whose honour the scholarship was created mere weeks ago, but he was elated that it will cover some of his tuition costs, and he will not have to immediately resort to getting a job while attending the University of Technology (UTech).
“I can just focus on studying!” the relieved young man, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and Technology at UTech, told The Gleaner immediately after the announcement during the Children of Jamaica Outreach, Inc (COJO) annual Scholarship Luncheon, which was held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
“It’s a very proud feeling. This is one of the biggest things that has happened to me, and I’m so honoured,” he added.
Davis grew up at the City of Refuge children’s home, starting when he was six years old. At 18, he moved on to the Transitional Living Programme and started attending UTech.
While speaking with The Gleaner, he said he has a love for music, and when searching for a bachelor’s to pursue, he had in mind a career as a musician. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the country and opened his eyes and understanding, he realised that any programme he would be pursuing should be greater than just something related to music.
“The COVID came in and musicians and DJs, it really took a toll on them. There was no work, so I was thinking, ‘What can I do more that if something like this came into play, it won’t affect my job or my work?’ and I was thinking, and I said, ‘I want to do media’,” Davis recalled.
He said he then went on a search for media programmes being offered at the various universities across the island but chose to attend UTech because it was the institution that first gave him an acceptance letter.
“I applied for the degree, and I’m here working hard to achieve it,” the scholar said.
Davis hopes to become part of the creative department in a media house or agency after he completes his bachelor’s.
“I want to [also] have my own business. I’m taking business courses, too. I love advertising. I’m an entertainer myself, and I just love the whole media thing. I just have a love for that,” he told The Gleaner.
No tuition worry
Davis was elated to learn that he embodies numerous traits associated with Erskine, who owned her own public relations agency called Marcia Erskine & Associates, and had an entrepreneurial mindset and knack for media, communication, and creativity.
He said the US$5,000 from the Marcia Erskine Scholarship would assist greatly in the progression of his life.
“I can use this and pay for my tuition and don’t have to worry how I’m going to get money for fees,” he said.
For the first year of his tertiary-level studies, which he has just completed, he credits the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) for assisting him in covering the cost.
“They [CPFSA] helped me, but I have to help too. There are little things that I have to do, such as material, etc. CPFSA, they can do so much [and no more],” he said.
Erskine was instrumental in the success of COJO over the past 30 years as the organisation was one she offered her full suite of public-relations services, primarily because of its goal, which is to offer scholarships to wards of the State. She also assisted over the years in securing various guest speakers, including government officials, for the annual awards ceremony.
At a thanksgiving service, during which Erskine’s life was celebrated on April 13 at the University Chapel, Mona, her daughter, Roshal Marshall, announced that the family would be endowing a $15-million Marcia Erskine Scholarship Fund that “will help create and educate the next wave of women journalists at The University of the West Indies”.
The scholarship, she said at the end of an emotional tribute to her mother, will “honour her legacy of love, community, and mentorship”.