The second time’s the charm for Roslyn Hinds, a talented cook and Frederick Smith Secondary School alumna who has been trying to get into one of the world’s top culinary schools–George Brown College in Toronto, Canada.
It wasn’t the marks but the money that stood in the way of her entry into the famed school. That way has been cleared after she earned the distinguished Errol Barrow Scholarship which rewards outstanding students from the nation’s newer secondary schools.
Financial difficulties hindered Hinds’ first application despite her strong academic performance. “The GPA for me was not a problem because that was easy. But the financial stability was a problem,” she explained.
The scholarship, which honours the legacy of national hero and the father of independence, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, supports tertiary studies in technical fields such as culinary, marine, and aeronautics for outstanding students from schools established after 1951–the year free secondary education and universal adult suffrage were introduced.
Hinds expressed her joy at winning the scholarship to Barbados TODAY, acknowledging that older, top-tier schools like Harrison College and Queen’s College typically receive academic awards.
“I am very proud to be a past student of Frederick Smith Secondary School to have won this scholarship, because it shows other people out there that it doesn’t matter where you go, where you come from, or what you do,” Hinds said at the presentation ceremony for this year’s scholarship and exhibition winners at the Ministry of Education. “You have a positive mindset, and you choose to do what you have to do in order to make things better for you. Anything is possible once you believe and you can achieve it.”
The success of her second try for George Brown College now paves the way for her to pursue her passion for making food.
“I prefer culinary arts because I don’t have to do much reading,” she said candidly. “I’m more into a skilled job.”
As she prepares for her new chapter in Canada, Hinds remains committed to maintaining a positive outlook and embracing the opportunities that come her way.
“Everything for me is just positivity, positivity, positivity. So whatever positive comes in my path, I am heading for it,” she declared.
