Caption: The 2025 Chevening Scholars pose with UK High Commissioner Jon Dean, Proman Deputy Managing Director Giselle Thompson and Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Sean Sobers at a reception held on Wednesday night at the High Commissioner’s residence in Maraval. Scholars pictured are from left Ronald Ammon, Shana Thomas, Shawn Melville and Clayanne Knot. AZP News/Alicia Chamely
By Alicia Chamely
FOUR highly talented postgraduate students of Trinidad and Tobago will be travelling to the United Kingdom to further studies under the Chevening Scholarship Programme. They were selected from among 90, 000 applicants competing for just 1,000 scholarships.
Addressing the scholarship winners at a reception held at his Maraval residence on Wednesday night, British High Commissioner Jon Dean took the opportunity to remind the scholars of the magnitude of their success.
Dean said, “Your success is something to be incredibly proud of. Out of 90,000 applicants worldwide, only 1000 were selected, and you are four of them. It really is an extraordinary achievement.”
The High Commissioner said over the past two years, applications for Chevening Scholarships in T&T had grown by over 689%.
“That’s not just a number, it’s a sign that many people here are dreaming bigger and reaching further and seeing the UK as a place to grow, to learn and to bring back new ideas to help shape Trinidad and Tobago’s future,” Dean said.
Wishing the scholars well, he said all scholars commit to returning to T&T for a minimum of two years after their studies and this was when “we see the real magic happening.”
Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Sean Sobers further congratulated the scholars, adding it was hoped that their expertise would positively contribute to the development of T&T.
In his address he said, “Having reviewed the profiles of these four awardees and their chosen fields of study, two factors seemed immediately apparent. Firstly, these individuals are incredibly passionate about what they do.”
“And secondly, the knowledge and expertise which they stand to gain will compliment some of the current priorities that is; our thrust to be an athletic powerhouse achievement and to develop sport into a valuable economic sector, to provide affordable housing for our citizens through most efficient and innovative solutions, and to achieve sustainable development amidst the ever-persistent threat of climate change.”
Sobers said the Chevening Scholarship programme was a symbol of the importance placed on education by both the T&T and UK governments.
Mentioning other great Trinbagonians who ventured to the UK for educational opportunities, Sobers said, “These opportunities to share across the Atlantic have not only shaped Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean region, but also the British society.”
The four recipients of the 2025/2026 Chevening Scholarship and their areas of study are:
Ronald Ammon, MSc in Engineering Management, University College of London
Shana Thomas, MSc in City Planning and Real Estate Development, University of Glasgow
Clayanne Knot, MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London
Shawn Melville, MSc in Masters in Digital Engineering Management, University College of London, Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction.
About Chevening Scholarship
Developed in 1983, Chevening is the UK government’s international award programme aimed at developing global leaders and pioneers. The scholarship is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations and offers fully funded scholarships to pursue one year master’s degrees in the UK.
For the academic year 2025/2026 and 2026/2027, the UK High Commission has partnered with the Proman Foundation to provide one additional Chevening Scholarship to nationals pursuing graduate degrees in process engineering, chemical engineering, energy, or sustainability.
The UK High Commission to T&T is currently accepting applications for the 2026/2027 academic year up until October 7. Interested parties are advised to visit the following link https://www.chevening.org/
