Kahlil Walker’s full scholarship to Yale University delights insurance company

Nearly 30 years ago, the ICWI Group of Companies created a staff education fund as part of an on-going effort to expand the range of benefits available to employees of member companies and to promote academic excellence throughout Jamaica.

Flash forward to the year 2020, and the long lasting impact of being a recipient of ICWI’s staff education fund has been realized by a young Jamaican who recently received a full scholarship to Yale University. Kahlil Walker, the son of ICWI staff member Dawn Walker, was a consistent recipient of a scholarship from ICWI during his primary and secondary educational journey. In fact Kahlil was a scholarship awardee of ICWI from the age of six until he graduated high school.

Asked what role ICWI played in motivating him to reach for the stars, he had one simple answer. “I made up my mind long ago that I was going to earn that scholarship every year, for me and my family,” said the 19-year-old Manchester High School alumnus, who has commenced his studies in molecular biophysics and biochemistry.  That drive stuck with him throughout his life, and now he is at one of the world’s most prestigious universities where he intends to combine both bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes.

Kahlil has followed in the footsteps of some of ICWI’s children who were earlier recipients, and who are now successful in the fields of medicine, law, accounting, business management, science, nuclear medicine and the list could go on and on.

Chairperson of the ICWI Group Foundation, Valerie Reynolds remembers the exact moment a proud Mrs. Walker called to inform her of Kahlil’s scholarship. “When Dawn called to let me know that Kahlil had not only gotten into Yale, but received a full scholarship, tears filled my eyes, and I felt goose bumps all over my body.  One would have thought he was my child; but that is what it is like here at ICWI, we are all part of a happy family, and I am happy that ICWI’s education fund played a role in his achievement.”

The fund is developed through employees' voluntary contributions each month, plus matching funds from ICWI. The number and value of awards made each year are directly linked to the level of financial support given by staff members.

The fund provides support for children of permanent employees between the ages of six and 16, who have demonstrated excellence through academic achievement. The awards are given annually. Since inception the company has granted 175 scholarships totalling five million dollars.

To qualify, students must have a proven academic record of at least an “A-” average, and demonstrate leadership potential and interest in the wider society, through extra-curricular activities. 

When asked about the benefits of the fund, Reynolds noted that the assistance go beyond the financial reward. “There is both a financial and psychological benefit for employees and their children,” she said, “awards can extend up to five years at both levels, but more importantly, through this programme employees and the company together encourage ‘our’ children islandwide to strive for academic achievement.”

The ICWI staff education fund is managed by the ICWI Group Foundation. As a registered charity, the foundation carries out a number of education-related projects across the island, including the administration and co-ordination of the staff education fund awards programme.