The United States (U.S) Embassy announced the selection of two Guyanese scholars for the 2022 Fulbright Scholarship Awards. Guyanese educator Keesha St. John and civil engineer Bayeeshmaal Ramsundar will embark upon graduate level programs in their respective fields at universities in the U.S, said the Embassy in a release on Friday.
Keesha St. John will pursue a Master of Science in Agribusiness Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, while Bayeeshmaal Ramsundar will pursue a Master of Science in Construction Management at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering.
The awardees paid a courtesy call at the U.S Embassy in Kington and were congratulated Ambassador Sarah Ann Lynch extended congratulations on their selection from a highly competitive group of candidates.
Ambassador Lynch noted that the U.S. Government is pleased to support Guyana’s development by building local capacity through higher education. She further noted that both areas of study are vital to Guyana’s growth as it takes center stage on the world market and supports the Government of Guyana’s efforts in food security, and oversight of public infrastructure projects.
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program gives Guyanese citizens the opportunity to complete a master’s or PhD at a higher education institution in the United States. Founded in 1946, the Fulbright Program now operates in 160 countries and has provided over 400,000 people from all backgrounds and in all fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.
The Embassy said over 120 Guyanese have benefitted from Fulbright scholarships since the early 1960s, many of whom are in the public sector, academia, the arts, business, civil society, media, and education. Diplomatic relationship between Guyana and the U.S dates back to the country’s independence.