A university student who lost his mother to breast cancer described it as one of many hurdles on the way to his winning a scholarship.

Winston Godwin said the death of his mother Cheryl Godwin in 2002 had been difficult to overcome.

At the time he was 12 years old. "I went to Ridley College, a [Canadian] boarding school for six years, then when I was there my mom passed away.

"It was a hard time for me, my dad and my sister and my stepmom, now, as well."

The 20-year-old was yesterday named as one of seven recipients of the Ross "Blackie" Talbot Education Award.

An aspiring marine biologist, he said the assistance would come in useful as he worked towards his degree at Guelph University in Canada.

"The scholarship was really important for me because I guess I had quite a bit of struggles growing up.

"My mom and I were really, really close. But my dad has really helped me to continue doing what I want and he has supported me the whole way.

"So it has been tough but it has been very rewarding now at this point because it's finally better."

Mr. Godwin said his dad had worked very hard to support the family he helped where he could by working in the summer.

The scholarship will be one less stress for the family, he said.

"It's less to worry about, less my family has to worry about knowing we have received the award."

Mr. Godwin will receive $10,000 as a recipient of the Ross "Blackie" Talbot Education Award.

He is also the recipient of the 2010 Steinhoff/Bermuda Zoological Society Scholarship, a $10,000 award.

He said he has been passionate about marine biology for some time and has volunteered with the Bermuda Zoological Society's Turtle Project.

"Marine biology is something I always loved to do. I always loved learning about the ocean and learning about the environment, marine studies and conservation."