Turissa Sullivan and Calvin Soubana are the recipients of the 2023 edition of the Guy Morel High Achievement Scholarship Programme offered by the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS).

The Governor, Caroline Abel, presented them with their scholarship awards in a short ceremony held yesterday morning at the CBS building in Victoria.

Turissa completed her Advanced Level studies at the end of 2022, obtaining four A* in Economics, Accounting, Business and Mathematics. She is keen on pursuing her undergraduate studies in the field of Accounting and Finance.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the CBS Scholarship Committee and the CBS for this chance to further my education in a field that I am so very passionate about. I am honoured to be the recipient of such a competitive and prestigious scholarship,” said Turissa.

Calvin, who has worked at the Financial Services Authority since 2020 and is presently a senior supervision officer, holds a Bachelor of Business in Finance and Economics. He will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Financial Law.

“Getting my postgraduate degree has always been something that I have talked about and I am actually thrilled that it is finally happening. A famous quote by Malcolm X that has stuck with me is that education is the pathway to the future, but tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. To that end, I am keen on returning to Seychelles and delivering on my goal of helping and building the financial services sector while also imparting the knowledge that I hope to gather from the programme,” said Calvin.

Turissa and Calvin are currently exploring university options and are expected to begin their university studies on campus later this year.

In presenting the scholarships, Governor Abel congratulated the two awardees and wished them success in their studies.

She also emphasised the importance of continuously building the country’s pool of talent with specialised skills and knowledge to design innovative policies and strategies, seize the opportunities and take on the challenges that are continuously emerging, to ensure a resilient and thriving financial sector.

“Our ongoing capacity-building efforts must also consider global developments that can ultimately impact the domestic economy to ensure prompt action to identify new areas of expertise that need to be nurtured. As part of its scholarship programme, the Central Bank will

continue to identify emerging and priority fields of study and support capable and committed

individuals aspiring to build a career in this sector,” said Ms Abel.

This year’s Guy Morel High Achievement Scholarship opened on October 7, 2022, closing on January 31, 2023. Economics, Accounting, Finance, Law and Banking were the areas on offer for undergraduate studies. Financial Technology, Cybersecurity, Financial Journalism, Financial Law, Taxation and Customs Management, Public Finance Management, Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance, Sustainable Finance and Data Analytics were the available options for postgraduate studies.

CBS first launched its scholarship programme in February 2018, initially offering one scholarship for undergraduate studies. The programme was revamped in September 2018 and expanded to cover postgraduate studies.

The chairperson of the Scholarship Committee, CBS’ second Deputy Governor, Jenifer Sullivan, highlighted the growing interest and competitiveness of the selection process each year. For 2023, an 8 percent increase in application was recorded, which is an all-time high.

Turissa was selected out of the four eligible candidates and Calvin, from a pool of five shortlisted candidates out of ten applications, in their respective categories.

“It is encouraging to see young minds keen to pursue careers in various areas of finance, which remains one of the sectors on the country’s priority list for qualified and skilled professionals. To Turissa and Calvin, we wish you all the very best. Seychelles eagerly looks forward to

seeing your contributions to the financial services industry upon completing your studies,” said Ms Sullivan.

Three scholars – one for undergraduate and two for postgraduate – have completed their studies under the scholarship programme with outstanding results and are already working in the financial sector. Turissa and Calvin join two others who are still pursuing their respective

degree programmes.

Source: Seychelles Nation