Seventeen-year-old business student Stefanny Sanchez has had to work hard for her achievements.The Devonshire girl, originally from Ecuador, has spent her life in Bermuda but, as a foreign national, she isn’t eligible for the range of scholarships available to Bermudians.“It’s interesting to see how hard I’ve worked, but as an expat I can’t get opportunities for the funding of my university studies,” said Stefanny, who will start her four-year journey toward a Bachelor of Commerce next month at Canada’s Queen’s University.“It’s sad,” she said. “Bermudians have some great opportunities right in their faces. With the scholarships, definitely, my advice is to take advantage of it.”Stefanny’s family hail from the Andean city of Ambato.“Back in Ecuador my parents were chartered public accountants, but there you don’t earn much even with a high position,” she explained.Parents Ivan and Gladys chose Bermuda when Stefanny was two years old, seeking better opportunities for their children. Her father now works in Dunkley’s Dairy.“Ever since we came here, from the first month learning English at St John’s preschool, I always strove to do my best,” Stefanny said.“I would definitely like to be in a better financial state than my parents, so I can help them out later on in life.”For Stefanny, the first step was working on her grades: as the Valedictorian of this year’s graduating year at Berkeley Institute, her grade point average of 3.68 marks the highest out of all the students in her class. The achievement could be something of a Sanchez family trait.“My brother, Ivan Junior, was Valedictorian last year at CedarBridge,” she said. “I hope my little sister Kristy is next. She’s seven, so she’s got a while.”The grades also earned her the Business Bermuda High Scholastic Achievement award at Berkeley, with $1,500 toward her further studies.Through the Centre for Talented Youth after-school classes, she was also able to build up her business skills with a macroeconomics course.Stefanny ascribes her early determination to pursue a commercial degree to her parents’ accounting backgrounds, and Bermuda’s mercantile environment.“Living in Bermuda, definitely, I decided that business was where I wanted to be. Most people think it’s going to be either finance or human resources, but there are so many, many possibilities in that industry that I’m keeping an open mind. I’m starting in general commerce and in my final years I’ll specialise.”She wants to come back to Bermuda and work but will have to get a work permit to do it.“That’s always been my biggest barrier. I’ve wanted to get paid or unpaid work experience, but I’m not eligible.”She credits Berkeley business teacher Sandra Wiggan for inspiring her to think big.Student challenges offered in Berkeley by KPMG and Butterfield Bank helped her build up the experience she was unable to acquire in the workplace.Her advice for business-minded students: “Make all the contacts you can, and keep them going, because you’re going to need them in the future,” she said.l Useful website: www.queensu.ca