NOVA RECRUITMENT ANNOUNCE RECIPIENT OF ANNUAL ‘LOVE YOUR FUTURE’ EDUCATIONAL GRANT

Successful Caymanian student receives $3,000 to further their studies

Nova Recruitment has completed its application process for its fourth annual ‘Love Your Future’ Educational Grant. The $3,000 grant is offered annually to a local student who has impressed the Nova team with their passion and dedication to pursuing their chosen career. The Caymanian who received this year’s grant is Taniel Lee, an amazing young individual dedicated to building a career in the public health sector.

One degree was not enough for Taneil, as she has completed three degrees thus far and will use Nova’s education grant to further study for a Master’s in Public Health (Leadership and Management) at the University of Sheffield, UK.

After completing a bachelor’s degree at the University of South Florida, Taniel explored various public health specialities, highlighting how public health shapes communities through law, policies, and campaigns. Taneil’s studies and volunteering focused on the disparities in breastfeeding rates among black women, and she worked tirelessly with charities implementing support groups that positively impacted the community around her in South Florida.

With her success in Florida, she wanted to continue her studies in healthcare, specifically public health. She is now in her final year at Newcastle University Medical School, about to become a Physician Associate (PA).

“My goal is to work as a gynaecological PA, bringing access and affordability to lower-income communities in the Cayman Islands. I want to work closely with women of colour and teenage mothers who may not have access to breastfeeding support. Through accessibility, education, and

affordability, I want to increase the breastfeeding rate for black women in the Cayman Islands,” Taniel explains. “Sadly, racism in medicine is still impacting individuals globally”.

Closer to home, Taniel is currently the Cayman Islands Commonwealth Student Association Representative and the Cayman Islands National Director of the International Student Environmental Coalition. Impressing the Nova Recruitment team, Taniel also used these positions to be heard locally and on an international stage as the first Caymanian to attend the World Youth Forum in Egypt in 2018.

Even further afield, Taniel represented the Cayman Islands in India on a medical internship, opening her eyes to the millions worldwide that suffer from preventable diseases. Her time in India solidified her aim to become a physician associate with a public health background to drive change in underserved communities.

However, Taneil has one challenge: the PA profession still needs to be recognised in the Cayman Islands. She has been actively speaking to the Ministry of Health and hopes to see it recognised by 2024, never letting a hurdle get in her way.

“I would become one of the first Caymanian physician associates once approved, and the Nova Educational Grant will make my dream a reality, allowing me to continually serve my island community with a greater impact”, explains Taniel.

The ‘Love Your Future’ Educational Grant selection process focused on the areas Nova Recruitment knows are vital to a successful career – ambition, passion, integrity, work ethic and self-reliance. These attributes shone through in Taniel’s application video, essay, and final interview, proving she is proactive and conscientious.

Ambrose Guilfoyle, co-owner of Nova Recruitment, explained, “This year’s applicants were very strong, and just narrowing them down to the final three was very difficult. We were really impressed with Taniel. She spoke eloquently and enthusiastically about using her passion for public health and medical care to help the local Cayman community”,

“It was a talented pool of applicants, and we are thankful for their time and effort. We still hope to support them on their journeys, along with the Cayman community at large, through recruitment services and career advice. As for Taniel’s future, we have no doubt she is going places in the world of public health. We are excited to see where her career takes her!” Ambrose continued.

Nova Recruitment offers a CI$3000 Educational Grant annually to support a Caymanian student through their education or professional qualification. This educational grant is open to any course of study that allows the student to pursue a career they love. To find out more, visit https://www.nova.ky/scholarship/