Six students were awarded Public Service Bursary Awards last week.

The $10,000 bursary is organised by the Department of Human Resources to students pursuing professional or technical qualifications that have been singled out by Government Heads of Departments as essential or desirable for the Bermudian workforce.

They were recognised at a recent ceremony at the Elbow Beach Hotel. The guest speaker was the Head of the Civil Service Kenneth Dill, who encouraged new recipients to keep their goals in view.

Mr. Dill challenged the students to commit to excellence in public service in a speech where he shared with them wisdom from his life in public service: "To all recipients, the call to Public Service is but a chapter in the book entitled 'My Life.' You are the author of the book and you have the power to write the chapters, to edit the chapters, to update the chapters, to rewrite the chapters and thus you have the power to become the hero through the lessons you have learnt."

The recipients this year included Rashida Bean, who is pursuing a Bachelors in business administration and finance at Alabama's A&M University.

Christopher McIlwain is studying for a Bachelors in surveying and mapping sciences at the University of East London.

Yvonna Osbourne attends Temple University and is pursuing a Bachelors in Economics.

Emily Siggins studies at Florida Institute of Technology and is pursuing a Bachelors in aviation management with flight.

Cristen Simmons is studying Law at the University of Leicester and Matthew Tavares is pursuing at engineering degree at Dalhousie University.

Continuing recipients include Cameron Corday, Mareena DeShield, Gordon Fubler, Deana-Marie Gilbert, Tika Gilbert, Giselle Ming, Shari Scott, Sherleeta Simmons and Dessiree Waldron.

Previous recipients who have graduated this year and are now working within the civil service were also recognised. These included: Kristen Darrell, who is now employed as a support analyst in the Information Technology Office, Jamari Douglas who is now employed as a sales and marketing intern in the Department of Tourism, Jacqui Simons, who is now employed as a Technical Analyst in the Information Technology Office and Katina Weeks who is now employed as a trainee management accountant in the Accountant General's department.