The Tribune

ISAIAH Strachan and Diane Smith have joined the list of Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) students who have been afforded the opportunity to continue their studies abroad on an emerging leaders programme.

The students are headed to Holland College on Prince Edward Island in Canada for the fall semester and will study Electronics Engineering as part of the Americas Programme (ELAP) scholarship. They are expected to return to BTVI to complete their Associate of Applied Science degree in Electronics Engineering Installers and Repairs.

Straschan, 22, a 2009 graduate of St Augustine’s College, said he was initially shocked at the prospect of heading to Canada for a semester. However, he now anticipates the journey. “I am looking forward to the experience in a new country and seeing snow,” he said. “I am also looking forward to learning new things in electronics engineering.”

The scholarship, granted by the Canadian government, provides students from Latin America and the Caribbean with short-term exchange opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

BTVI’s Manager and Consultant, Dr Iva Dahl, emphasised that Strachan is now an ambassador for the institution at Holland College. She expressed confidence that he will do well while Raquel Bethel, BTVI’s Coordinator of Student Affairs, described him as a “stellar” student who has demonstrated he is “one of the best in the Electronics programme.”

Ms Bethel encouraged Strachan, who has a strong academic background, to become actively involved in campus life, making the best of the experience.

Valentino Burrows, a part of the Energy Systems Engineering programme who spent the spring semester at Holland College this year, shared how great an experience the study abroad programme was for him.

“The professors at Holland are passionate about what they’re teaching,” he said. “They push you. I never connected with people that quickly. There was a bond formed and I felt I knew them for years. I even found time to play football with the Prince Edward Island Privateers.”