by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Fri. Aug. 25, 2023

At a small ceremony that was held at the University of Belize Belmopan Campus, 25 student-athletes from different sections of the country were awarded the Black Jaguar Athletic Scholarship in various sports disciplines.

“We are excited and proud today to make a huge step in bringing back our sports program, the Black Jaguar Sports Program, to make sure that this is sustainable,” said Vincent Palacio, president of the University of Belize, at the ceremony. He went on to say, “The students are very excited to represent the university, the national university. We’re proud to make, to provide the space, and to provide the environment for them to do this.”

Gavin Taylor of Belize City, who is nationally known for representing Belize in international tournaments in volleyball at the U19 and U23 levels, was one of the scholarship recipients, and he stated, “It feels like I’ve succeeded and that I’ve done something great with my life, and I feel like I have done a lot to get to this point, and I’ve made people like my family and friends proud.”

Ana Bejarana of Punta Gorda Town, locally known in that municipality as a volleyball athlete playing for a local club, noted that the scholarship opportunity was granted through her coach.

“For me, it is a great accomplishment, because I can lift a weight off my parents’ shoulders. They don’t have to worry about paying my tuition and where I will be staying,” she said.

“… This scholarship has been awarded to me by the dedication of my coach back in Punta Gorda Town. He has made many attempts to further our education through sports, and I just want to give him a huge thank you,” she added.

The students are required to maintain a GPA of 2.5 for the semester along with other requirements.